It's Still There
by CoffeeDrinker
Summary: [Complete] Sequel to "It's Right There." A look into Luke and Lorelai's married life.
1. Part 1

****

Title: "It's Still There"

****

Pairing: Lorelai/Luke

****

Spoilers: Sequel to "It's Right There." The link, which for some reason doesn't appear when I upload, can be found by clicking on my user name above.

****

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB.

****

Author's Note: Okay, for a few months, I pretty much had my mind made up that I wasn't going to write a sequel because I didn't think I'd be able to do it well. Then, last month, I started getting this overwhelming urge to try it out, and I started writing, and decided it was something I really wanted to continue working on. So, now, here it is. . .this story picks up two weeks after where "It's Right There" leaves off, so we're still back in September of 2002. Thursday the 19th, if you want to be exact. :)

* * *

__

Part 1

* * *

On Thursday night, Luke pulled into the driveway and parked behind Lorelai's Jeep. He grabbed the takeout bags from the passenger seat, climbed out of the truck, and walked toward the house. As he pushed open the front door, he called, "Food's here!"

From the kitchen, Rory called, "Luke, she won't leave me alone!"

Luke dropped his keys on the hall desk, then walked to the kitchen where Rory and Lorelai were sitting at the table. Rory had her schoolbooks spread open in front of her and Lorelai was flipping through a magazine. 

"What are you doing now?" he asked Lorelai as he set the bags on the table.

Lorelai scoffed. "Nothing! I am being a nice mother who is merely trying to inform her daughter of the important news in today's society."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm sitting here trying to do my homework and she comes in and starts reading the fall movie preview section aloud." 

Luke tilted his head to the side. "Tsk, why are you bothering her while she's trying to work?"

Lorelai raised her hands innocently. "Hey, I just thought she might've wanted to decide now which movies we should see this fall. Sorry for wanting to plan some quality time with my daughter."

Luke gestured to Rory's books. "Look at all the stuff she has to do. She has more important things to worry about than movies." Luke walked over to the fridge to get himself a drink. 

"Thank you," Rory said to Luke while glaring at Lorelai. "Apparently she's forgotten what the phrase 'Mom, I'm busy' means."

Lorelai frowned. "I was bored, and I'm still not used to you being back in school." She stood up and rifled through one of the takeout bags. "I think it's crazy that you have so much homework in only your second week. Don't they give you any time to get back into school mode?" She pulled some containers out of the bag and set them on the table.

"Well, most students at Chilton are in school mode year 'round," Rory reminded her.

"Right, the ones who have that chip implanted in their eyes," Lorelai said. "Good thing you were absent that day."

Rory stood up and closed her notebook. "Guess I'll finish after dinner. Let's eat in the living room and watch a movie." She grabbed the other takeout bag and her can of soda from the table. "Grab some plates and forks." She walked to the living room.

"Okay, we'll be right there," Lorelai said. She turned around to face Luke, who was standing near the sink. She smiled and walked over to him, and he set down his glass of juice on the counter. Lorelai wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her lips against his, kissing him softly. She pulled back with a smile. "Hi."

"Hi."

Lorelai ran her hands over his chest. "How was your day?"

Luke kissed her again before replying. "Pretty good. Yours?"

"Pretty good, too. One of the guests asked me if I would come up to his room and give him a personal massage," Lorelai said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. "Said he'd give me a hundred bucks for it."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yup. Easiest hundred bucks I ever made," Lorelai replied. "Thankfully, he wasn't into anything kinky. You know, sometimes you get up there and they have all these personal requests about what they wanna do and where they wanna do it and everything. . .it's crazy. But this guy was easy."

Luke stared at her curiously for a moment. "Okay, just confirm to me that you're kidding before I start doubting it."

Lorelai smirked and kissed him on the cheek. "Yes, I'm kidding."

"Good." 

"He _was_ into kinky stuff. But don't worry, just to make you feel better about the situation, I'll give you half of the money," Lorelai said. "Kind of as if you're my pimp. I'll call you PimpLuke. Or Pluke, for short. How's that?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Okay, how much of this conversation is real?"

"Um, up to the part about some guy wanting me to give him a personal massage," Lorelai replied. "He really did ask, but he didn't offer any money. Plus, he was like eighty years old. And I said it wasn't in my job description, so I couldn't do it or I'd get fired."

"Good answer." He walked over to get some plates. "Speaking of money, did you go to the bank?"

"Yup," she replied.

Surprised, Luke glanced at her over his shoulder. "You did?"

Lorelai smirked and rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look."

He pulled the plates out of the cabinet. "What look?"

"The same shocked look that people gave Julia Roberts when she told them she was married to Lyle Lovett," Lorelai replied.

He set the plates on the table and walked back over to her. "Well, I'm surprised. I've been reminding you everyday to deposit that wedding money and you kept forgetting."

"I did not keep forgetting, I just didn't have time," Lorelai corrected him. 

"You had time to go shopping for shoes after work yesterday."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "I know."

"At the shoe store right next to the bank," he added.

Lorelai sighed. "I told you already, I went right from the inn and I didn't have the money with me and I didn't feel like coming home to get it." 

"You should've just let me take care of it," Luke said. "I told you I would do it."

"You were even busier than I was," Lorelai said. "You can be in charge of the wedding money deposit next time."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I don't think we're gonna have another wedding." 

"I was referring to when we get married again in our next lives," Lorelai said.

Luke rested his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. "You really think I'd be crazy enough to marry you a second time?"

Lorelai placed her hands on either side of his face and guided his lips to hers, kissing him long and deep. When she finally pulled back, she stroked the back of his neck as she smiled up at him. "I think so."

"Yeah, I think so, too," he agreed, leaning in to kiss her again.

"What's taking so long?" Rory called from the living room.

They reluctantly pulled apart. "Uh, would you believe we're trying to decide which plates to use?" Lorelai called.

"No, I think you're making out, so knock it off because I'm hungry!" Rory called back.

Lorelai gave an impressed nod toward Luke. "She's good."

* * *

A few days later, in the kitchen of the Independence Inn, Sookie was chopping up a stalk of celery while Lorelai sat on a stool next to her. "So, what about yesterday? What'd you guys do?" Lorelai asked. 

"We went to that corn festival I was telling you about, remember?" 

Lorelai nodded knowingly. "Oh, right, right. How was it? Fun?"

Sookie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it was great. We were there for such a long time."

"Was there lots of corn-related food? Ooh, did they have those cute little tiny corn cobs that Tom Hanks eats in Big?" Lorelai asked.

Sookie giggled. "Yes, they did. They pretty much had every corn dish you could imagine. Corn bread and corn muffins and corn dogs and corn casseroles and. . .just tons of stuff."

"Mm, sounds yummy." Lorelai took a sip of her coffee. "You know, for a vegetable, corn is pretty good, but I've discovered that it's not nearly as appetizing once you've seen it floating in the toilet."

Sookie grimaced. "Oh, come on, that's gross."

Lorelai shrugged. "Sorry, but it's true. I can't help human nature's inability to properly digest corn."

"Yes, but you could not talk about it," Sookie pointed out. She tossed the chopped-up celery into a bowl and started on another stalk.

"Sorry. Go on. What else happened at ye olde festival of corn?"

"Well, of course, Jackson had to compare everybody else's corn to his corn," Sookie said, rolling her eyes.

Lorelai sighed. "Men. They're just not happy unless they're certain that their corn cob is nicer and juicier than everyone else's corn cob."

"Don't I know it," Sookie agreed. "So what did you do this weekend?"

"Uh, let's see." Lorelai thought a moment. "Saturday, Luke worked in the morning, so Rory and I hung out, watched TV and stuff. Then Luke came home in the afternoon and mowed the lawn, and Rory went to Lane's to do homework."

"And you?" Sookie asked.

"Didn't you hear me – Luke mowed the lawn," Lorelai repeated.

Sookie nodded knowingly. "Ah, right. So you sat on the front porch and watched him work up a sweat."

Lorelai grinned. "You know me so well."

"How was that, entertaining?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Very. Then he went upstairs to take a shower, and of course, you can't let a man who just mowed the lawn take a shower all by himself. It's dangerous. He might be too exhausted and collapse and drown."

"Drown in a shower? In what, the centimeter of water that accumulates around the drain?" Sookie asked.

"Hey, if your nose and mouth land in that one centimeter of water, you could be a goner," Lorelai said seriously.

Amused, Sookie shook her head slightly. "Uh huh."

"So we got in a nice session of attempted baby-making," Lorelai finished quietly, glancing around to make sure no one could hear.

Sookie rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Aw, that's so exciting!" She paused and added, "A little too much information, but still exciting – baby-making!" 

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Luke still doesn't want anyone to know that we're trying, though. He says that when people say that they're trying for a baby, they're basically just coming out and saying, 'Yeah, we're having lots of raw, unprotected sex.' He feels weird having people know that about us."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "As if everyone in town would otherwise think that you two are celibate?" 

Lorelai shrugged. "Apparently. When I told him that I told Rory that we were trying, he got all embarrassed and nervous. I mean, I see the point where he obviously doesn't want Rory thinking about us like that, but I mean. . .like, it's a big shock to her?" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "She's not four, she knows that we sleep together." Lorelai took a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah. I mean, she's probably even heard you guys doing it before," Sookie said.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Aw, come on, stop it. I don't wanna think about that."

"Or seen you," Sookie added. "Do you ever leave the bedroom door open?"

Lorelai grimaced and shook her head. "No, we always lock it. Now, let's quickly move away from this topic because it's starting to weird me out."

"Okay, sorry, pick a new subject," Sookie said. She tossed the rest of the celery into the bowl, then walked over to the sink to wash her hands.

"Rory's birthday's in a few weeks," Lorelai said. "My little baby's gonna be an official adult."

Sookie smiled. "Aw, that's so exciting. We need to start planning a party menu."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, we better get on that soon. And then the week after Rory's birthday is Luke's."

"Oh yeah? I didn't realize they were so close together." Sookie dried her hands on a dishtowel and walked back over to Lorelai. "He'll be what. . .like, 37, right?" 

"38," Lorelai corrected her. "He's three years older than me."

"Right, I knew that. So, you throwing a party for him, too?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai sighed. "I _want_ to, but you know Luke. . ."

"He's not exactly a party guy," Sookie said knowingly.

"And he's especially not a party guy when the party's for him. I suggested that we celebrate his and Rory's together – you know, like a joint party, but he said no. He doesn't even want presents," Lorelai said. She scoffed and shook her head in disbelief. "What kind of freak doesn't like getting presents?"

"The kind of freak you married," Sookie reminded her.

"I know, what was I thinking?" Lorelai mused.

Sookie giggled. "I don't know. You're gonna get him something anyway, aren't you?" 

"Of course I am," Lorelai replied. "And he's crazy if he thinks I won't. It's the first special occasion we'll have together as a married couple. I'm not gonna just ignore it. I told him we're at least going out to dinner to celebrate."

"Speaking of married couples, when are your wedding pictures coming in?" Sookie asked.

"Oh, they said they would definitely get here by Thursday," Lorelai replied excitedly. "I can't wait to see them."

"Me, too. And the video?"

"Same time. It'll all be delivered together," Lorelai said.

"I wanna see it," Sookie said. 

"Definitely. You can come over sometime this weekend and we can hang out and watch it," Lorelai said.

"Sounds good," Sookie said. 

"We ordered three copies," Lorelai said. "An extra one for us in case something happens to the first one. . ."

"Good plan."

"Yup, and Rory suggested that my parents might want one, so. . ." Lorelai shrugged. "We got one for them, too."

Sookie smiled. "Aw, they'll love that."

Lorelai nodded and stood up. "Okay, I better get out there before Michel has a fit. I'll talk to you later."

"See ya," Sookie replied.

Lorelai started walking toward the lobby door. "Oh, and if you get a chance, see if you can develop something that helps our bodies digest corn better."

Sookie giggled. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

A few nights later, while Lorelai was upstairs taking a bath, Luke and Rory were downstairs on the couch watching television. During a commercial, Rory picked up the remote and started quickly flipping through the channels. 

Luke watched the screen for a few seconds, then reached over and took the remote from her. "God, you're as bad as your mother." 

Rory gasped and frowned at him. "Hey! You know the rules, first one in the room controls the remote."

"All the flipping's giving me a headache." Luke changed it back to the channel they'd been watching. "It won't kill you to sit through a couple commercials."

"But Luke, most commercials are so boring and uncreative that I fear that even minimal exposure to them will rot my brain. And you don't want your stepdaughter's ivy league-bound brain to get rotted out, do you?" She pouted and reached for the remote.

Luke held it out of her reach, explaining, "But you like mocking really stupid commercials, which requires the use of your imagination, meaning you're utilizing and even strengthening your brain, not rotting it out. So sit and mock the commercials."

"But I'm not in a commercial-mocking mood right now," Rory said. 

"So, then, just don't look at the tv," Luke suggested. "Just sit with your eyes closed."

Rory sank back against the couch cushion and closed her eyes. "I can still hear them," she said in a singsong voice.

Luke rolled his eyes and muted the television. "There, happy?"

Her eyes still closed, Rory smiled. "Yes, thank you." She held out her hands. "Could you pass the chips?"

Luke picked up the bowl from the coffee table. He set it on Rory's lap and waited for her hands to cradle it. "You don't wanna rot your brain, but it's perfectly fine to rot your insides with junk food?"

Rory smiled and nodded. "Yup." She ate a few chips. "So, you sure you don't wanna come to dinner with us?" 

"Nah. I'll let you and the Gilmores have some quality time together," Luke said.

"I'm sure they wanna spend quality time with you, too," Rory said. "I mean, now that you're part of the family and everything."

"Yeah, well. . .maybe I'll go once in awhile," Luke said. "Just not every week."

A moment later, they heard the upstairs bathroom door open, then a moment later heard Lorelai gasp loudly. "Ah! Hon!" 

Rory opened her eyes and glanced at Luke. "Is that me or you?" 

Luke shrugged. "I'm not sure. Are you usually hon or honey?" 

"Both. It varies," Rory said.

"Hm." He glanced toward the staircase, then turned back to Rory. "Should we ask or wait it out?" 

"Wait it out," she replied. "I'm sure it won't be long." 

As if on cue, Lorelai, now sounding impatiently annoyed, called again, "_Hon!_"

Rory smiled at Luke. "See?"

"Yeah, but she still didn't clarify," Luke pointed out. "Maybe it's a clothing crisis – that means she needs you."

Rory stood up and walked to the bottom of the staircase. "Mom, who are you calling – me or Luke?"

"Whichever one of you wants to come up here and remove this spider from the hallway!" Lorelai called back. "Ah, hurry, it's moving!"

Rory glanced at Luke and gestured upstairs. "That's you." Luke sighed and stood up. He handed Rory the remote as he passed her, and she smiled. "Thank you."

Luke slowly climbed the staircase and stopped at the top step. Lorelai stood in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around her, staring intently at the wall next to the laundry room door. "What's the problem?" he asked.

Lorelai glanced over at him. "Took you long enough. You hear me call out in a panic and you don't rush to see what's wrong? I could've been up here being attacked by a burglar or something."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I think your cries for help probably would've been more than 'ah' and 'hon' if you were being attacked." He walked past her into the bathroom and ripped off some toilet paper from the roll. He walked back over to her. "Where is it?"

She pointed toward the wall. "Next to the door."

Luke walked into the hallway and eyed the wall. When he finally spotted the spider, he glanced at Lorelai with an amused look. "This is what you're scared of? It's not even a grown spider, it's like the size of an ant."

Lorelai gestured toward it. "Just take care of it, please."

Luke covered the spider with the toilet paper and squeezed his fingertips together. He pulled it back from the wall, then checked to make sure it was secure in the paper. He looked at Lorelai and gestured toward the wall. "There, it's gone. Happy?"

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, you didn't have to kill it. Poor thing was probably just trying to find his family."

Luke rolled his eyes as he walked past her into the bathroom. He disposed of the wrapped-up spider in the garbage can, then washed his hands. He followed Lorelai into their bedroom, closing the door behind them. 

Luke sat down on the bed as Lorelai walked to the closet. She pulled out a dress, grabbed some undergarments from the dresser, then brought everything to the bed. 

He leaned back against his pillow and watched as she dropped her towel and started getting dressed. "So, listen, I was thinking. . .we haven't really talked about what we wanna do about these dinners," Lorelai said.

"Meaning?" he prompted.

"Well, I mean. . .should we keep going? Should we keep letting them pay for Chilton?" Lorelai asked. 

Luke sat up in the bed. "Oh. I don't know."

"Well, do you think we can afford to pay for it ourselves?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know."

"Well, do you think we should try it out and see if we can handle it?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know."

Lorelai sighed and sat down on the bed. "What _do_ you know? Do you have any input on this at all?"

Luke exhaled loudly and stared down at the floor for a moment. "Look, the only thing I know for sure. . ." He brought his gaze up to her. "Is that whether they keep paying for it or we pay for it or what – you and Rory should keep going to Friday night dinners."

Surprised, Lorelai's eyes widened. She eyed him quietly for a moment, trying to determine whether he was kidding or not. Finally, she cocked her head to the side and said, "What?"

"You and Rory should keep going to Friday night dinners," Luke repeated. 

Lorelai shook her head. "No, that wasn't an 'I didn't hear you' what, that was a 'why the heck did you say that' what."

"Look, you've spent the last two years borrowing their money and seeing 'em each week and building a relationship with 'em," Luke reminded her, gesturing aimlessly with his hands as he spoke. "And now what? You're just gonna forget all that because you don't need their help anymore? Go back to just seeing them on holidays?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Not just on holidays. We'd still go over and visit occasionally."

"But they look forward to seeing you and Rory so. . .consistently," Luke said. "I'd even put money on the fact that these dinners are the highlight of their week."

Lorelai sighed. "So,what, you want us to go to Friday night dinners every week for the rest of our lives? Come on, Luke, that's kinda crazy."

Luke raised his hands innocently. "Okay, fine, maybe not every week. Maybe after awhile you can push it back to twice a month or something." Luke paused a moment, then added, "You know, whether you wanna admit it or not, you _have_ been getting along with them lately."

"Yeah, I guess." 

"And, you know. . .you're just as used to this situation now as they are," Luke said. "I think you'd miss seeing them every week."

"Miss them?" Lorelai rolled her eyes, but then a small smile slowly formed on her lips. "Well, part of me does enjoy that weekly dose of teasing Emily Gilmore. Did I tell you about the look on her face last week when I told her that you like to walk around the house naked?" 

Luke's eyes widened. "What?"

Lorelai giggled and nodded. "That's exactly the look she made!"

Luke pursed his lips. "Lorelai. . ."

She rolled her eyes and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Rory told her I was kidding. Geez, lighten up." 

Luke shook his head slightly toward the bed, then brought his gaze to her. "So. . .uh, the point was that. . ." He paused. "What was my point?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "I think your point was that they're apart of our lives now and we should try to keep it that way." She shrugged. "Or something like that."

"Yes, that was my point."

"Okay, I admit, your point's kind of valid." She reached for his hand and began stroking his palm. "So. . .what does this mean? That we're gonna try paying for Chilton ourselves?"

"I don't know yet," Luke replied, shaking his head. "We'll have to sit down, look things over, see if we can handle it. But. . .just plan on keeping the Friday night dinners going either way." He lightly rubbed her thigh. "Okay?"

Lorelai nodded. "Mmhmm." Luke leaned forward and kissed her, and when they pulled apart, Lorelai said, "Oh, Sookie's coming over on Sunday to see our wedding pictures and watch the wedding video." 

"Just Sookie?" 

"Yeah, it'll just be us girls hanging out," Lorelai said. "You know, doing typical best friend things. . .giving each other manicures, braiding each other's hair, seeing who can do a better reenactment of the fake orgasm scene in _When Harry Met Sally_." Lorelai grinned and patted Luke on the arm. "You can be the judge."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Uh, as. . .interesting as that sounds, I think I'll pass. I already have plans."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes curiously at him. "You do? What plans?"

"The plans that involve me not being here for girl time on Sunday," Luke replied.

Lorelai smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine, but you're gonna miss out on all the fun."

"I'm sure you'll tell me all about it." He climbed off the bed and walked to the door. "I'll go tell Rory you're almost ready to go." 

"Okay."

A few minutes later, Lorelai walked downstairs, calling, "Has anyone seen my – " She spotted her black purse on the armchair and finished, "Never mind, there it is." She picked it up and rummaged through it, looking for her lipstick. She pulled it out as she walked to the hall mirror. "Rory, you ready?" she called.

Rory walked out of her bedroom pulling on a sweater. "Yup. Got the video?"

"No, can you grab it? It's on the desk," Lorelai replied. She paused a moment to apply her lipstick, then added, "And grab the album, too."

"Oh, I forgot about that." Rory walked over to the desk, where the extra wedding video sat atop the photo album. "We should've gotten a little gift bag to put them in." She picked them up and walked toward the front door.

Lorelai capped her lipstick and dropped it back into her purse, then waved Rory off. "Eh, it's fine. Luke, we're leaving!"

Luke walked out of the kitchen eating an apple. "Okay. Have fun."

"You going to the diner soon?" Lorelai asked.

Luke held up the half-eaten apple. "Soon as I'm done with this."

"Okay. We'll see you later." Lorelai kissed him on the cheek, then pulled the keys out of her purse. 

"Bye Luke," Rory said as she stepped out the front door. 

"Bye."

Lorelai grabbed a sweater from the coat rack and followed Rory out onto the porch, pulling the front door closed behind her.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Lorelai and Rory walked up to the front door of Emily and Richard's house. Rory rang the doorbell, and a moment later, the maid opened the door. They walked inside the house, handed their sweaters and purses to the maid, then headed to the living room. 

Emily was sitting on the couch sipping a glass of wine while Richard stood at the drink cart making himself a martini. Emily smiled when the girls walked into the room. "Hello, hello. Come sit down."

"Hey Grandma, hey Grandpa," Rory greeted them, holding the photo album and video against her chest.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad," Lorelai said as she sat down on the couch. Rory sat next to her.

"What can I get you to drink?" Richard asked.

"Coke, please," Rory replied.

"White wine," Lorelai replied.

Emily set her glass of wine on the coffee table, then folded her hands in her lap. "So, how's everything with you two?" 

"Great," Rory replied.

"Everything's fine," Lorelai replied. 

"Good, good. And how's Luke?" Emily asked.

"He's fine. He's working tonight," Lorelai said.

"He has a good, strong work ethic, Luke does," Richard said from the drink cart. "Hard work is good for the soul, and for building good character."

"And for funding trips to the mall," Lorelai added. 

"What's that you have there?" Emily asked Rory.

Rory glanced down at her lap. "Oh. Mom just had some things she wanted to . . .here." She handed the album and video to Lorelai. 

"Oh, yeah, we brought you gifts," Lorelai said. She held up the video. "Now, Mom, I know you were dying to see the Sorority Life finale, so I taped it for you. I don't wanna give away the ending, but let's just say that. . .Jordan and Mara didn't join." Lorelai paused and wrinkled her nose. "Oops, I gave away the ending. Sorry."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom."

Emily sighed. "Lorelai, if you're going to try to be funny by making silly references, it might help if we knew what you were talking about. Otherwise, it just sounds like jibberish to us."

"But it's funny to me, and we all know how I like to amuse myself," Lorelai said. Richard brought their drinks over and set them on the coffee table. "Thanks, Dad."

"Yeah, thanks," Rory added. She patted Lorelai on the arm. "Mom, just tell 'em what you brought."

Richard took a seat next to Emily. "Yes, what are these gifts you've brought?"

Lorelai picked up the photo album. "Well, we got our wedding pictures in this week, and so we went through and made an album for you guys. There's some pictures of you two, some of me and Luke, some of Rory and . . . well, just a bunch of candids we thought you'd like. Here, take a look." She leaned across the coffee table and handed it to Emily.

Emily's eyes widened as she ran her hand over the satin cover of the album. "Goodness. And this is for us to keep?"

Lorelai nodded. "Mmhmm."

"Well, that's very nice," Richard said. 

"Yes, very nice." Emily opened to the first page, and a smile slowly formed on her lips. "Oh, Richard, would you look at that?" Emily titled the page toward him, showing him the picture of Lorelai, Emily and Richard that was taken in the living room just before the wedding ceremony. 

"Well, that certainly came out nice, didn't it," Richard commented.

"Yeah, the photographers did an amazing job," Lorelai said. "We're really happy with all the pictures." 

Emily turned the page of the album. "Yes, they're lovely so far."

Lorelai and Rory sipped their drinks as Emily and Richard continued looking at the pictures. When they were finished, a smiling Emily closed the album and set it on the coffee table. "Well, this is a wonderful gift, a very nice collection of pictures. Thank you, Lorelai."

"You're welcome." Lorelai held up the video. "Don't forget the second part of the gift."

"What is that?" Richard asked.

"Kind of goes with the pictures," Lorelai replied. "It's a copy of the wedding video."

"A copy?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, we got an extra one so you can keep it," Rory added. 

Emily smiled. "My. Well, wasn't that nice."

"Yes, what a nice idea," Richard commented.

"Perhaps we could watch it after dessert tonight," Emily suggested.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, maybe, some of it. It's kind of long though, so it might get pretty late if we try to watch the whole thing."

"Oh, well, we'll just play it by ear, then," Emily said. "Have you already watched it?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, the three of us watched it last night."

"Mom used up like a box of tissues," Rory added with a smirk. "She was practically bawling the whole time."

Lorelai scoffed and nudged Rory with her elbow. "Excuse me, you didn't exactly have dry eyes, missy."

"Yeah, but you cried much more than me," Rory said. "I didn't think you'd ever stop. I started wondering if I should hurry up and order flood insurance or something."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "She's exaggerating," she said to Emily and Richard. "It's an annoying little trait she has."

"One she undoubtedly inherited from you." Emily smirked before sipping her wine.

"So, Rory, tell us, how's school?" Richard asked. "Senior year – must be exciting."

"Yeah, it's good so far. It's busy already," she replied. "Lots of homework."

"But that's okay, because hard work is good for the soul," Lorelai said. "Right, Dad?"

"That's right. And it builds character," Richard replied.

"Well, let me tell you, there must be tiny little construction crews inside of this girl building character 24 hours a day because she's got a ton of it," Lorelai said.

"Uh, Grandpa, I wanted to ask you, do you think you could set up another tour of Yale soon?" Rory asked. "I mean, now that the semester has started, we might be able to sit in on a class. I mean, only if it's not too much trouble."

"Oh, of course it's no trouble. I'd be happy to," Richard replied. "I'll make the call on Monday."

"Great, thanks," Rory said appreciatively.

The maid entered the room. "Dinner's ready, Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore."

"Right on time. Thank you, Maura," Emily said. She picked up her wine glass and stood up. "Shall we?" She walked away, and Lorelai, Rory and Richard followed her to the dining room.

* * *

To be continued. . .

Author's Note:

Okay, there's part 1. I'm almost finished with part 2, it should be posted within the next few days. Feedback is always greatly appreciated. :)


	2. Part 2

"It's Still There – part 2"

****

Author's Note: Wow, thanks so much for the warm reception of the new story! I really appreciate all the nice feedback. :) 

Okay, for those who mentioned it, let me clear up some things about Rory in this story. As most of you know, Rory's personal life (school, love life, etc.) is not something that comes up often in my stories. Personally, I see enough of that on the show, so I don't like to write about it. As this story starts, Rory is still with Dean. They might not be together by the end of the story, but they are for now. There will be no Rory/Jess. I know a lot of you are fans of that couple, so I hope you won't stop reading because of that, but in this story, Rory and Jess are, and will remain, just friends. In the story, Jess still lives above the diner, drives Luke's old truck, works at the Stars Hollow bookstore (not Wal-Mart), and is dating Jill, who also works at the bookstore. I hope that cleared up any confusion. And remember, I never delve into any detail about Rory's personal life, so even if you don't like Dean, you'll very rarely see him anyway. Now, on to part 2. . . 

* * *

__

Part 2

* * *

On Sunday afternoon, Lorelai was sitting on the couch, a sewing kit open on the coffee table in front of her. While she was sewing the small tear on the sleeve of one of Luke's plaid shirts, Rory walked out of her bedroom to the living room. "Hey."

Lorelai looked up and smiled. "Hey. You got anything that needs sewing while I'm in housewife mode?"

"No, but I'd love to see you try to bake a casserole," Rory commented.

"Forget it." Lorelai went back to sewing the shirt.

"Should I go get the tacos now?" Rory asked. "What time's Sookie coming?"

Lorelai glanced at the clock on the mantle. "Uh, yeah, now's a good time. She'll be here in like ten minutes."

"Okay," Rory replied. "Where's the money?"

"In my purse, which is. . ." Lorelai thought for a moment, trying to remember where she left it. "Hm. I think it's upstairs." She stuck the needle into the shirt and dropped it on the coffee table, then stood up. "I'll go get it. Luke's up there taking a nap."

"Since when does Luke take naps?" Rory asked.

"He said he had a headache and needed to lie down," Lorelai said with a shrug. "Be right back." Lorelai climbed the stairs up to her bedroom and slowly pushed open the door. 

Luke was sitting on the edge of the bed putting his shoes on, and he looked up when he heard the door open. "Hey."

Lorelai walked into the room. "Hey. Feeling better?" 

"Yeah, thanks." He watched her walk over to her vanity and pull some money out of her purse. "What're you doing?"

Lorelai walked over and sat next to him on the bed. "Rory's gonna go pick up some lunch. You know what they say about tacos and wedding videos. . ."

"Oh, yeah. Can't have one without the other."

Lorelai smiled. "Exactly."

Luke leaned over to tie his shoes. "So, let's see – you, Sookie, and Rory will all be watching the video at the same time. . .should I start building a dam around the living room?"

Lorelai smirked and elbowed him in the side. "Stop mocking me for crying. It's my wedding, it makes me emotional."

"It's my wedding, too, but you don't see me acting like a busted fire hydrant," Luke said.

Lorelai frowned and shrugged. "Hm, so that obviously means that our wedding means more to me than it does to you." She clutched her chest and shook her head sadly. "Do you know how that makes me feel? I'm disappointed. I'm distraught. I'm saddened. I'm concerned about the possible – " Luke leaned forward and kissed her to shut her up, but she pulled back and continued, ". . .effects this might have on the future of this marriage. I mean, what if – "

Luke interrupted her with another kiss, this time placing his hand on the back of her head so she couldn't pull away. She quickly decided to abandon her pretend disappointment and she eagerly returned the kiss. 

When they finally pulled apart, Luke asked, "Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" 

Lorelai shook her head. "Not really. Only you. And Rory. Oh, and Sookie. Can't forget my parents. Michel everyday at work. Sometimes Taylor. Occasionally – " Her voice trailed off as Luke stood up and walked to the door. "Hey, where you going?"

"Getting away from you before my headache comes back," he replied. Lorelai jumped up off the bed and followed him downstairs. 

Rory was waiting on the couch, and she stood up when they walked down. "Took you long enough. How's the headache, Luke?"

"Starting to come back," he said, glancing at Lorelai.

Lorelai frowned. "You better be nice to me, or I might accidentally leave a needle or two in your shirt." She handed the money to Rory, then turned to Luke. "We just assumed you didn't want anything, but do you?"

"Nah, I'll grab something here," he said.

"Okay. Be right back," Rory said. As she left to go get the food, Luke walked to the kitchen, and Lorelai sat on the couch to resume sewing the shirt.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Lorelai called, "Come in!"

Sookie walked into the house, calling, "Hey, it's me."

"In here," Lorelai said from the couch. Sookie walked into the living room, and Lorelai smiled. "Hey, hon. Rory just went to get us some lunch."

"Yeah, I passed her on the sidewalk." Sookie held up a large plastic container. "I brought some snacks. Butterscotch brownies, macaroon cookies, and some espresso flavored rum balls that I think might get me arrested if I give them to Rory."

"Yum. You're the best guest ever," Lorelai commented as she continued sewing. 

Sookie set the container on the coffee table, then leaned back against the couch. "Is Luke home?"

"Yup, he's in the kitchen eating lunch and trying to stay away from anything that can be considered girl talk," Lorelai said.

Sookie smiled. "Must be tough trying to stay manly in a house with two girls."

"He's doing a good job so far," Lorelai said. "If he's had any secret desires to watch The View or to dress up in women's clothing, he's hid them from me. Can you pass the scissors?" She nodded toward the sewing kit on the table. Sookie handed them to Lorelai, who cut the excess thread from the sleeve. Lorelai held up the shirt and looked it over. "There, done."

"What happened to it?" Sookie asked.

"He ripped it at the diner. Got it caught on something in the storage room," Lorelai said. She put the needle and scissors back into the sewing kit, then stood up. "Let's go deliver this. Bring the food."

Sookie picked up the container of snacks and followed Lorelai into the kitchen. Luke was at the table eating a sandwich, and Lorelai draped the shirt over the back of his chair. "Here, all fixed."

"Thanks. Hey Sookie," he said, nodding hello.

"Hey." Sookie smiled and set the container on the table. "So, I heard a rumor that you don't wanna hang out with us girls. Is that true?"

"Yup." Luke took a bite of his sandwich. 

"Tsk, I'm a little offended," Sookie said with a pout.

"Don't be," Lorelai said. "It's better if he's not here so we can talk about him. You want a drink?" She walked over to the fridge, pulled open the door, and surveyed the beverages. "Water, soda, milk, iced tea. . ."

"Soda's fine, thanks," Sookie replied. 

Lorelai grabbed a can and walked it over to Sookie, then rubbed Luke's shoulder. "What are you doing – are you going out?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna run some errands," Luke said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Check on Jess, pick up some things from the hardware store, maybe stop at the market."

"We need dishwasher detergent," Lorelai said. "Oh, and we'll probably need tissues by the end of the night."

Luke nodded. "Got it."

Lorelai started walking to the back door and waved for Sookie to follow her. "Let's go wait for Rory outside." Sookie followed her onto the porch. They walked toward the front of the house and sat on the cushioned bench.

"So, it seems like he's not working as much anymore," Sookie commented.

"Yeah, he tries to take at least one day a weekend off, and he works some half-days during the week," Lorelai said. "And Caesar's been doing a good job handling the diner when he's not there, so things are good."

"Good, good. I bet it's nice to have him home more often." Sookie opened her soda and took a sip.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Definitely." They were both quiet for a few moments before she said, "So, remember yesterday I told you about the conversation me and Luke had about Chilton?"

"About how you should keep the Friday night dinners no matter who pays for it? Yeah."

"Well, last night before bed, we sat down and looked at the numbers and talked things over, and we decided that we're gonna keep letting my parents pay for it, but we're gonna start paying them back," Lorelai said. "You know, just a little bit each month."

"How long do you think it'll take?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "I'm not sure, probably a few years. But if we can get it started now, then we figured. . .why not?"  


"Makes sense," Sookie said. 

"Yup." Lorelai stretched out her legs and propped them up on the porch railing. "So, did I tell you the best part of the wedding video?"

"No, what?"

Lorelai smiled. "Miss Patty diving across the dance floor trying to catch the bouquet."

Sookie gasped. "No way! They got that on tape?"

Lorelai giggled and nodded. "It's so funny. We kept rewinding and watching it over and over. We must've watched it like ten times in a row."

Sookie burst into giggles. "Oh my God, I can't wait to see that."

The front door opened and Luke walked out twirling his keys around his finger. "You leaving?" Lorelai asked from the bench. 

Luke walked down the front steps. "Yup. I'm gonna take the Jeep and gas it up for ya."

"Thank you," she called. "Bye."

"Bye Luke," Sookie called.

Luke gave them a half-wave as he climbed into the Jeep. He pulled out of the driveway and drove off. A few minutes later, Rory walked up to the house with two takeout bags, and the three girls went into the house.

* * *

On Wednesday night, Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner, each carrying several shopping bags. As they sat down at a table, Luke looked at them from the counter. "Do I wanna know what's in those bags?"

"It's stuff for my party," Rory said. "Paper plates and cups and napkins. . ."

"And decorations," Lorelai added. "Lots of 'em. So many that we'll need to start decorating tonight if we want to get them all up by Saturday."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I knew I didn't wanna know." He poured two cups of coffee and brought them to the table. 

"And we can leave them up for the next week and a half so they'll still be up for your birthday," Lorelai suggested. "You like SpongeBob streamers, right?"

"Oh, yeah, it's the only type of streamers I use," he replied. "Now what do you want to eat?"

"The usual," Lorelai replied. 

"With extra French fries," Rory added.

As Luke walked back to the counter, Lorelai shook her head disappointedly. "I still can't believe that they don't make Alias-themed party products. I mean, I know I'm not the only person in the world who'd wanna lick chocolate frosting off of a paper plate with Vaughn's face on it."

Rory shrugged. "Maybe we should make them and market them ourselves."

"If no one else invents them by the time my birthday gets here, we just might have to do that." 

Jess walked down from the apartment and walked past their table. He nodded toward them as he headed toward the door. "Hey."

"Hey Jess," Lorelai said. "You coming on Saturday?"

Jess turned around and took a step toward the table. "What's Saturday?"

"My party," Rory replied. "Remember, I told you about it last week? Starts at seven."

"Right, yeah. I don't know what I'm doing yet," he said. "Might have to work."

"You can come by after work if you want," Lorelai said. "It should be going until pretty late."

"Yeah, and you can bring Jill," Rory added. "It'll be fun."

Jess shrugged. "Okay, maybe." He gestured toward the door. "Gotta get to the bookstore."

"See ya," Lorelai said.

"Bye," Rory said.

As Jess walked out of the diner, Lorelai glanced toward the counter to make sure Luke wasn't in earshot. "So, I have to go shopping for Luke's presents sometime next week."

"Oh, yeah. What should I get him?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. I'll pick something up for you when I go."

"Nothing immature or embarrassing," Rory warned. "Get something simple, like a book or a CD or something."

"So you don't want me to put your name on the card that informs him of his brand new subscription to Playboy?" Lorelai asked.

Rory made a face and rolled her eyes. "Uh, no, that can just be from you."

* * *

The next night, Luke arrived home just after six. He walked in through the front door and dropped his keys on the hall table. He glanced toward the kitchen and called, "Hello?" When he got no response, he walked upstairs to the bedroom. Seeing that it was empty, he called, "Lorelai, are you home?"

"In the tub," her voice replied from the bathroom.

He walked toward the door and knocked on it. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

He pushed open the door and walked inside, closing it behind him. Lorelai was sitting in the bathtub, staring down at the water as she hugged her knees to her chest. "Hey," Luke said.

"Hi," she replied without looking up. 

"Is Rory home?"

"Nope." She was chewing on her bottom lip and softly rocking her body back and forth. 

Luke shoved his hands into his pockets. "Uh, something wrong?"

She shook her head, but still didn't look up at him. He narrowed his eyes and crouched down to be at eye level with her. "Lorelai." She slowly turned her head to face him, and he noticed that her eyes were red. He cocked his head to the side. "Nothing's wrong, huh? You're just sittin' here cryin' for fun?" Lorelai nodded, and Luke rolled his eyes. "Tell me."

Lorelai sighed and glanced back toward the water. "It's nothing, I was just. . .I wasn't feeling well this afternoon."

"And. . ."

"And I thought that maybe. . .well. . .after work, I. . ." Her voice trailed off and her gaze drifted over to the sink. 

Luke turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw the empty pregnancy test box. He grabbed it and turned back to her. "Wait a minute. . .you did this without me?"

"I thought if it was positive. . .it'd be nice to surprise you," she muttered.

Luke sighed and tossed the box into the garbage can. "So. . .I guess it wasn't positive?"

Lorelai shook her head and swallowed hard. "No. And it wasn't until I was standing there, holding the stick in my hand. . .that I realized how much I wanted it to be. And I just. . ." Her lower lip started trembling. "You know, got a little emotional."

Luke stood up and grabbed her robe from the hook on the door. "Come here." He grabbed her hand and helped her stand up, then helped her put on the robe. She stepped out of the tub and he hugged her tightly. 

"I want a baby, Luke," she whispered against his shoulder.

"I know you do," he replied, rubbing her back comfortingly. "But it doesn't happen overnight."

Sniffling, Lorelai pulled back and nodded. "I know. That's what I've been telling myself, that we haven't been trying that long."

"No, we haven't." He shrugged. "I mean, I don't know much about this stuff, but even I know that it takes time." He took her hands into his. "It's no big deal that it hasn't happened yet."

Lorelai sighed. "I know, but it was just. . . so disappointing in the moment, you know? To be thinking that it had happened, to be all excited, and then. . .to have it not be true. I'm so stupid. I mean, automatically assuming that a little stomach pain meant that I was pregnant?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Stupid."

"You're not stupid." Luke brushed the hair away from her face. "Look, I don't want you doing stuff like this by yourself anymore. Tell me next time."

Lorelai nodded. "I will." 

"Good." He ran his hands over her shoulders. "You okay?"

She took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just all. . ." She waved her hands around. "Crazy. But I'm good now." 

"We'll keep trying," he assured her. 

"Maybe we should do something else," Lorelai said. "I mean, I should, like, sit down and try to figure out exactly when I'm ovulating. Ooh, or maybe we should get one of those little gadgets that tells you when you are. I bet they're fun to play with. Ooh, or maybe we should go see a doctor who can – "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Luke interrupted, shaking his head. "We don't need to do any of that crap yet. Look, if it doesn't happen by next year, _then_ you can start to worry. . .but not after a month. We don't need to rush it."

Lorelai took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it. "You're right, okay, we're not in a rush. I'll stop worrying about it." She paused a moment, then added, "Can I at least do some research and find out which sexual positions are best?" 

Luke smirked. "That you can do." She smiled and kissed him, then wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. As he hugged her back, he glanced down at the garbage can. "Uh, just out of curiosity, where'd you buy that test? Not here, I hope."

Lorelai pulled back. "Yalesville."

Luke let out a short sigh of relief. "Okay, good."

"Yeah, Doose's was all out. Taylor even checked in the back for me," she continued. "So I had to go somewhere else."

Luke's eyes widened and he stepped back from her. "Oh, God, so now Taylor knows? Dammit! You know he's gonna tell - " He stopped when Lorelai giggled, and he sighed loudly. "Why do you do stuff like that to me?"

Lorelai smiled and shrugged. "It's fun." 

* * *

On Saturday night, Sookie and Lorelai were in the kitchen putting the hors d'oeuvres on platters while Luke leaned against the counter watching them. Lorelai glanced toward the crowded living room. "I think we're running out of space in there."

"Which is why I'm in here," Luke said. "It's too crowded out there."

"Yes, but if someone sees you just standing there like that, they're gonna think this is another socializing point instead of the worker's area, so at least help with something," Lorelai said. 

"There's nothing to do," Luke said. "Everything's been done."

"Well, then, try to _look_ busy. Check the ice bucket or something," Lorelai said.

Luke lifted the lid of the bucket, peeked inside, then replaced the lid. "Checked."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Very nice."

They finished loading the platters, then Sookie picked them up. "I'll go set these out there. Listen for the oven timer."

"Will do," Lorelai replied, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

As Sookie left the kitchen, Luke walked up behind Lorelai and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hey."

"Hi." Lorelai smiled as he slipped his hands under her shirt. He brushed her hair aside with his nose and started kissing the back of her neck. She giggled. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to look busy," he replied, sliding his hands upward.

"Well, you're doing a good job," she muttered. "You know, just to remind you, there are 30 people in the next room who could walk in here at any moment and see you groping me."

"Keep your eye on the doorway," he mumbled into her neck.

"Aye, aye, captain." He continued kissing across her neck until Lorelai heard someone coming and slapped him on the arm. "Footsteps, stop." Luke quickly pulled away from her just as Sookie walked back into the kitchen.

Sookie paused at the doorway and stared at them suspiciously. "What's going on?"

Luke shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nothing."

"Yeah, what are you talking about? We're just standing here," Lorelai said with a shrug.

Sookie shook a finger toward Luke. "He has a guilty look on his face."

"That's because he murdered someone earlier tonight," Lorelai said. "Shh, it's a secret."

Sookie walked over to the table and started cleaning up the pans. "You were doing newlywed-type things, weren't you?"

Lorelai scoffed. "Who, us? No way. We never do stuff like that in the kitchen." She paused and added, "Well, except for those couple of times when we – "

Luke's eyes widened and he quickly covered her mouth with his hand. "Stop talking."

Lorelai peeled his hand away, then smirked and pulled him toward the living room. "Let's go mingle."

They stopped near the staircase and Lorelai eyed the room for Rory. She found her standing near the fireplace talking with a group of people, and she smiled. "Aw, looks like she's having a good time."

Luke followed her gaze. "Yup."

They stood there for a few minutes until they heard a knock on the door. Lorelai walked over to answer it, and found Richard and Emily on the porch. "Hey."

"Sorry we're late," Emily greeted her. 

"Yes, I was on a business call," Richard explained. 

Lorelai waved them off. "That's okay, don't worry about it. The strippers haven't even arrived yet."

"Excuse me?" Emily said.

Lorelai smiled and pulled open the door wider. "Come in."

They stepped into the house as Luke walked over. He extended his hand toward Richard. "Richard, good to see you again."

"Yes, you, too," Richard said. 

"Emily," Luke said, shaking her hand.

"How are you, Luke?" Emily asked.

Luke nodded affirmatively. "Good. I'd be better if I could stop thinking about the mess I'm gonna be cleaning up in the living room for the next month, but. . ." He shrugged. "What can ya do, right?"

"Well, I can give you the number of a good cleaning service," Emily offered. "They bring all their own supplies, and they charge by the room, not by the hour."

Lorelai held up her hand. "It's okay, we can handle it, thanks. Uh, can we get you something to drink? Some wine?"

"Yes, that'd be nice," Emily replied.

"Okay. Rory's over there if you wanna go say hi," Lorelai said, pointing toward the fireplace. Richard and Emily walked into the living room as Lorelai and Luke walked to the kitchen to get the drinks.

* * * 

Later that night, Rory and Lorelai were sitting next to each other on the couch, each eating a piece of cake. Lorelai craned her neck to look up at Sookie, who was standing behind her. "Mm," Lorelai moaned happily. "Sookie, this is amazing."

Rory nodded in agreement. "De-licious."

Sookie smiled. "Glad to hear it."

"Did you have some?" Lorelai asked. "I don't think I've seen you sit down once tonight. Take a rest."

"I will after I check on some things," Sookie said, patting her on the shoulder and heading toward the kitchen. 

Lorelai finished her cake, then set the plate on the coffee table. She put her arm around Rory. "So, tell me, how'd you like your gifts?" 

"I love 'em," Rory said, glancing at the presents on the coffee table. "You got me way too much. Love the books. Love the CDs. Love the movies. Plus, I bet I'm the only girl at Chilton who has Lassie on DVD."

Lorelai smiled. "There's a good quote for you to put under your yearbook photo, huh?"

"Definitely. Love the clothes, especially the boots," Rory said.

"That I'm gonna borrow," Lorelai said.

"They won't fit. My feet are smaller than yours," Rory reminded her.

"I don't care. I will shove them in there, cut off all circulation, chop them off at the ankles – do whatever it takes to wear those boots," Lorelai said.

"Why don't you just buy a pair for yourself?" Rory suggested. "Might be less painful."

"Hm, good point." She gestured to the other gifts. "You got a lot of other good presents, too. Did you check out those hand lotions that Babette gave you? They smell good."

"Yeah, I love the berry one." 

"Me, too." Lorelai glanced around and noticed that the crowd had lightened. "Did some people leave?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Uh, I think a bunch of people are eating out on the porch," Lane said from the other side of Rory.

Rory stood up. "I'm gonna go see who's out there." As Lane and Dean followed Rory out the side door, Lorelai stood up and glanced around the room. She saw Emily and Richard talking with Kirk near the window, and Lorelai walked over to them to listen to their conversation. 

"So, how is it possible that you work that many jobs?" Richard asked. "It just seems inconceivable."

"Yes, well, it involves a great deal of time management," Kirk explained. "Lots of meticulous scheduling. Usually things are spread out pretty well, but sometimes I'll end up working at five different places in one day."

"That's truly fascinating," Emily commented. "But wouldn't you rather have one stable job?"

"Nah, I like the variety. I've found that if I do something for too long at a time, I start to feel emotionally confined and I develop a rash all over my body," Kirk said. 

"Goodness," Emily said, eyeing Kirk strangely.

Lorelai cleared her throat. "Uh, Mom, Dad, can I get you anything from the kitchen? More cake?"

"No, we're fine, thank you," Richard replied. "Lorelai, did you know that Kirk has over a dozen jobs?"

"Uh, yeah, I've noticed that," Lorelai said, nodding. "Uh, excuse me." She walked toward the kitchen where Sookie, Jackson, Luke and Miss Patty were standing around the kitchen table. "Hey guys."

"Lorelai, honey, can you believe she's eighteen?" Miss Patty shook her head in disbelief. "It feels like just yesterday I was teaching her ballet."

"Oh, I know. They grow up so fast." Lorelai hugged Luke's arm and leaned against him. "Make her stop growing."

"I'll try," Luke said. 

Rory rushed into the kitchen and tapped Lorelai excitedly on the shoulder. "Mom, while so many people are outside, I think this would be a good time for phase 4."

Lorelai gasped. "Ooh, phase 4! I almost forgot about that! Go get 'em."

Rory walked to her bedroom, and everyone else looked at Lorelai expectantly. She explained, "Well, there are four major phases to this party – hors d'oeuvres, gifts, cake, and. . ." Rory walked out of her bedroom carrying two shopping bags. Lorelai reached into a bag and pulled out a can. "Silly string."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh God. Don't tell me those bags. . ."

Lorelai pulled out another can. "Are full of silly string," she finished. She smiled and handed him a can. "Here. Everyone gets one." She handed a can to everyone in the kitchen.

Luke examined his can for a price tag. "How much did all this cost?"

Lorelai scoffed. "Luke, you cannot put a price on fun." 

"Let's go," Rory said. She walked toward the living room, announcing, "Silly string fight outside in two minutes."

Lorelai smiled and aimed her can at Luke. "Ready to get attacked?"

He held out his can toward her. "No, thanks."

Lorelai pushed his can back toward him. "No, there's no way you're sitting this out. You are going to play, and dammit, you are going to enjoy it." She grabbed his hand and led him toward the back door. "And five bucks to anyone who gets silly string on my mother without her noticing." The others in the kitchen followed them outside.

* * *

Later that night, after they had cleaned up the party, Lorelai and Luke walked up to their bedroom. Luke collapsed on the bed with a loud sigh, then let out a grunt as Lorelai collapsed on top of him. She rested her chin on his chest and closed her eyes. "Need. . . sleep."

"Okay, this position is only comfortable for one of us," Luke muttered, shifting his body under her weight. "And it ain't me."

She opened her eyes. "Okay, I'm moving." She pulled a piece of dried-up silly string out of his hair and dropped it on the floor. "It was a good party. Rory had a good time."

"I'm glad."

Lorelai yawned loudly. "I just wish my parents hadn't left in the middle of phase 4. I wanted to see them get stringed."

"I think they knew that. That's probably why they left."

She giggled. "And I'm sure Jess regrets arriving in the middle of phase 4."

Luke smirked. "Yeah, I don't think he'll be coming to anymore of your parties." He ran his hand through his hair and made a face at the stickiness. "Ugh. I don't think I will either."

Lorelai giggled. "I guess getting everyone to spray you until you decided to play wasn't the nicest thing to do."

"Not really."

"I just wanted you to partake in the fun." Lorelai rolled off of him and landed on the bed. She reached for the covers and pulled them up around her. 

"You're not changing?" he asked.

"I'm too tired," she mumbled as she snuggled up against him. Luke glanced down at his clothes and contemplated getting changed, then decided against it. He pulled the covers up over him, then draped his arm over Lorelai's waist and closed his eyes.

* * *

Early Tuesday morning, the alarm clock buzzed loudly, awakening both Luke and Lorelai from their sleep. As Lorelai turned it off, Luke immediately noticed that it was still dark outside. He glanced at the clock, which read 4 a.m. "What the. . ." 

Lorelai patted him on the shoulder and climbed out of bed. "Shh, go back to sleep."

"Where are you going?" he mumbled, propping himself up on his elbows.

"I told you, I always go down and talk to Rory on her birthday at the time she was born," Lorelai whispered.

Luke groaned and leaned back against his pillow. "I think you forgot to mention that it was at four in the morning."

"Sorry." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Go back to sleep."

Lorelai walked downstairs and headed for Rory's bedroom. She quietly pushed open the door and walked over to the bed. She rubbed Rory's shoulder and whispered, "Wake up birthday girl."

Rory opened her eyes and blinked a few times, then glanced at the clock. She smiled at Lorelai. "Hey." She moved over and made room for her on the bed. 

Lorelai climbed in next to her. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you."

"How do you feel?"

Rory yawned. "Tired." 

"I can't believe you're an adult now," Lorelai said. "I mean, you've been acting like one for years, but. . .now it's official."

"It's official," Rory agreed. "I can vote."

"And gamble."

"And purchase tobacco products."

"But let's pretend those last two things are still illegal for you to do so you don't get the urge to do them."

Rory nodded as she stifled a yawn. "Okay."

"Have I told you lately how great of a kid you are?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, but you can tell me again," Rory replied. 

Lorelai smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you, honey. I mean, here you are. . .with all these plans about what you wanna do in your life, and it just. . .it makes me so happy to see you working your butt off to make 'em happen. You're amazing."

Rory smiled shyly. "I'm not amazing. I'm just . . .determined."

"No, trust me, you're amazing," Lorelai insisted.

"Well, you raised me, so you must be amazing, too," Rory said.

"I'll go with that." Lorelai linked her arm through Rory's and they both stared up at the ceiling. "I still can't believe that this time next year, you'll be in a college dorm room and we won't be lying together like this."

Rory gasped softly. "I didn't even think about that."

Lorelai turned to her and sighed. "I think about stuff like that all the time. I think about how different things are gonna be. I mean, it's gonna be so weird not having you around all the time." 

"Don't think about that stuff yet," Rory said. "We have a whole year to go."

"I can't help it, I have to prepare myself. Sometimes I think about how I'll come home from work everyday and. . . you won't be here waiting for me. And I think about how I won't be able to just sit down and talk to you whenever I want to. And then I get to thinking about . . ." Lorelai paused as she swallowed hard. "Just. . .how much I'm gonna miss you. It's gonna be so hard." She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "You're growing up too fast, kid." 

Rory snuggled up closer to Lorelai. "Aw, Mom, I'm gonna miss you, too. But if things work out with Yale, I won't be that far away. I'll be around here a lot more than you think, I promise."

"I hope so." 

"And I can probably even come home the day before my birthday and sleep here that night," Rory said. "That way, we won't break the tradition."

Lorelai smiled and kissed Rory on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They were both quiet for a few moments. Finally, Lorelai said, "You know, this situation is reminding me of a story."

Rory smiled. "Oh yeah?"

"Yup, and ironically, I was lying in this exact same position. . ." Lorelai started.

* * *

To be continued. . . 

Thanks again for all the nice feedback! :)


	3. Part 3

"It's Still There – part 3"

* * *

Lorelai slept the rest of the night in Rory's bed, and was awakened just after six the next morning by a familiar smell. "Mm, bacon," she muttered, inhaling deeply. She glanced at Rory, still asleep next to her, then quietly climbed out of the bed. She rubbed her eyes as she walked to the kitchen, and found Luke at the stove cooking breakfast.

"Morning," Lorelai greeted him groggily.

"Hey." He quickly glanced over at her, then turned back to watch the pancakes. 

She yawned as she took a seat at the table. "You miss me last night?"

"Are you kidding? I'd forgotten how nice it is to have a whole bed to myself."

Lorelai frowned. "Hmph. Keep talking like that, you'll be getting the whole _couch_ to yourself." 

He transferred the pancakes to two separate plates on the counter, then focused on the sizzling pan of bacon. "Is Rory up? This is almost done."

"Ah, I'm sure the smells will hit her soon," Lorelai replied. 

"You guys are going out for her birthday tonight, right?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, just dinner and a movie," Lorelai replied. "Oh, and possibly a quick stop at an adult video store since she's now legally allowed to enter them." 

"Now there's a nice mother-daughter bonding activity," Luke commented. He turned off the stove burners, then tossed some bacon and eggs onto each of the plates. He brought them to the table. "Here. Coffee's done, too. I gotta go."

Lorelai stretched an arm toward the coffee maker and groaned, "Eh. . .eh. . .too far."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Get it yourself." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye"

"Bye."

As Luke walked toward the front door, Rory walked out of her bedroom. "Mm, something smells good."

Hearing her voice, Luke leaned his head out from the front entryway. "Happy birthday, breakfast's on the table, I gotta go." He walked out the front door.

"Uh, thanks." Rory smiled and shrugged at Lorelai. "Guess he's in a hurry."

"Guess so." Lorelai eyed Rory's plate, then her own. "Hey, he gave you more bacon than me."

"Well, it's _my_ birthday."

Lorelai took a piece from Rory's plate. "There, now it's even."

"Hey!" Rory frowned as she sat at the table. "I'm telling Luke when I see him later."

"I'm telling Luke?" Lorelai snickered. "Since when did you become such a step-daddy's girl?"

"Since I've discovered that he usually takes my side over yours." Rory smiled and bit into a piece of bacon.

* * *

The next night, Lorelai arrived home after work, and when she walked through the front door, she was hit by the aroma of . . .something. She dropped her purse on the bench by the door, then sniffed a few times as she walked to the kitchen. "What is that? It smells Italian-y." Luke was standing at the counter slicing a loaf of garlic bread, and Lorelai walked over to him. "Hey, whatcha cooking?"

"Lasagna," he replied. He craned his neck back to kiss her hello, then returned to slicing the bread. "It's almost done. Smell good?"

"Mm, smells very good," Lorelai replied. "You've been in a home-cooking kind of mood lately – breakfast yesterday, dinner today." She ran her hands over his back. "There's nothing sexier than a man who knows his way around a kitchen." She paused, then added, "Well, except for a man with a tattoo of a kitten on his left butt cheek. How 'bout it?"

Luke shook his head. "Sorry. You'll have to be happy with the puppy on the right."

"Ah, well, I tried." Lorelai walked over and peeked into Rory's bedroom. Rory was typing away at the computer and Lorelai knocked lightly on the doorframe. "Hey sweets."

Rory turned around and smiled. "Hey. How was work?"

"Good. I beat Michel five times in a row at tic tac toe."

"So, busy day, huh?"

"Yup. How was school? Teachers still acting like slave drivers?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it."

"Well, that's good, then. The chef says that dinner's almost ready."

"Okay. Be right out," Rory replied, turning back to the computer.

Lorelai walked over to the kitchen table. "Hon, did you get the mail?"

Luke looked over from the counter to see who she was talking to. "Uh, no, it hadn't come yet when I checked." 

"Mmkay, I'll go check," Lorelai said. She walked out the back door, and returned a minute later with a stack of mail. "Mail call." She went through the envelopes one by one, dropping them on the table. "Credit card bill, water bill, junk, junk. .ooh, what's this? It's for you." She held up the blue envelope addressed to Luke, and he glanced over at it and shrugged. She smiled and said, "Ooh, I bet it's a birthday card."

Luke rolled his eyes and walked over to her. "My birthday's not 'til next week."

Lorelai scoffed. "Well, damn the sender to hell for trying to be thoughtful and get it to you ahead of time. I swear, people nowadays are so rude."

Luke opened up the card and read it. "It's from my aunt and uncle."

"Aw, that's nice," Lorelai said. "You should call and thank them."

He slid the card back into the envelope, muttering, "I hate birthdays."

"Aw, I know you do, but you're apart of this family now and we looooove birthdays, so you have to get used to loving them, too," Lorelai explained.

Luke walked over and opened the oven door. "I already told you, I don't want you to make a big deal out of it. If I wake up and find the bedroom filled with balloons, I'll. . ."

Lorelai smirked and folded her arms across her chest. "You'll what?"

He turned off the oven, slipped on a pot holder, and removed the lasagna. As he set the pan on the stove to cool, he turned to her and replied, "I'll be pretty damn grumpy."

"And how will that be different from any other day?" Lorelai teased. Rory walked out of her bedroom and Lorelai put her arm around her shoulder. "Hon, help me figure out what's wrong with this picture – Luke doesn't want us to recognize his birthday. At all. No party, no decorations, no gifts - "

"No cake," Luke added.

Rory gasped. "No cake?" She turned to Lorelai. "He's insane!"

"I know!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I just cannot fathom how, on the one occasion where eating cake all day long is acceptable, someone wouldn't want to do it."

Luke rolled his eyes and pulled some plates out of the cabinet. "Dinner's ready."

"I'm gonna go change first," Lorelai said. She grabbed Rory's arm. "Come with." 

Lorelai and Rory walked upstairs to the bedroom, and Lorelai shut the door. They both sat down on the bed, and Lorelai said, "So, I went out today and got him some gifts."

"Cool. But you do realize that when you give them to him, he'll probably go into a huge rant about how he didn't want them?"

Lorelai smiled. "I know, we should buy a video camera and try to get it on tape."

"Okay, so, what'd you buy?"

"Not much. Just some little things. . .some DVD's, a new wallet, this funny pair of boxer shorts that says. . ." Lorelai giggled, then waved her off. "Uh, well, never mind what it says." 

"Thank you for shielding me."

"You're welcome. I figured we can just put both our names on everything," Lorelai said. 

"Well, uh, maybe the underwear could just be from you," Rory suggested.

"Good idea." 

"Did you get some of the DVD's I suggested?" 

Lorelai nodded. "Yup. I went with the manly motif."

"Good. Where are they?"

"Everything's out in the car," Lorelai said. "I was thinking that when he goes upstairs later, you can run out and get them, then hide 'em in your closet."

"Okay."

"And there's wrapping paper in one of the bags, so maybe one day this week when he's not home, you can wrap them?" Lorelai suggested.

Rory nodded. "Sure."

"Great, thanks." 

"Uh, I'd rather not wrap the boxers, though."

Lorelai smiled. "I'll do that one myself." She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a T-shirt and sweatpants. "So, you think for his birthday dinner, I should take him to one of those places where all the waiters and waitresses come out with a cake singing Happy Birthday?"

"Oh, yeah, he'll love that," Rory said with a laugh. "I think that might result in him killing you."

"Yeah, and death probably wouldn't be the most festive way to end the night," Lorelai said.

"Probably not," Rory agreed. "Unless he shoots off some fireworks while he's doing it."

Lorelai slipped off her work skirt and pulled on the sweat pants. "Seriously, though, I don't know where we should go to eat. Any suggestions?"

Rory shrugged. "Al's?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Uh, someplace slightly fancier, please." She took off her silk shirt and tossed it on the chair, then pulled on her T-shirt and flopped onto the bed next to Rory. 

"Hmm. . .Chez Fleur?" Rory suggested.

Lorelai shook her head. "Too fancy. He'll never go for it."

"Hm." Rory glanced toward the ceiling as she thought for a moment. Finally, she said, "Oh, hey, why don't you go to the inn?"

"What inn? My inn?"

"Yeah, that'll be perfect. It's nice but not too fancy, and you know the food'll be great," Rory said. 

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Hm, not a bad idea."

"Plus, you can get Sookie to make a little birthday cake for him or something." She shook her head slightly. "Even though he doesn't want birthday cake, which is a perplexity I'm still trying to figure out."

Lorelai smiled. "I've learned that it's best not to waste too much brain power trying to decipher the mysteries of Luke's mind. I just try to accept the weirdness and move on."

Rory smiled. "Funny, I think he says the same thing about you."

Lorelai playfully slapped her on the leg and climbed off the bed. "Let's go eat." 

They walked down to the kitchen. Luke had already started eating, and had set their plates of lasagna at their seats. They each grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and sat down to eat. 

Luke took a bite of his garlic bread. "So what's going on for Friday? You guys work that out yet?" 

"Mm." Lorelai swallowed down her food and nodded toward Rory. "Right, I forgot to ask you, any trouble getting out early?"

Rory shook her head. "Nope. I already talked to the headmaster and my afternoon teachers. Grandpa's gonna pick me up at Chilton at one, then we're going straight to Yale for the tour. He'll bring me back to his house when it's over, and I'll go home with you after dinner."

"And you're sure it's okay that it's just the two of you?" Lorelai asked. 

"Oh, yeah, it's totally fine," Rory said, waving her off. "Go to your meeting, don't worry about it."

"Emily's not going?" Luke asked.

"Nah, once she found out that I couldn't make it, she thought it'd be nice for my dad to take Rory himself," Lorelai explained.

"Grandfather/granddaughter bonding," Rory added.

"Ah. Nice," Luke commented.

Lorelai tapped Luke's plate with her fork. "Are you coming to dinner on Friday? You said you'd come once in awhile."

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. I have to check the diner schedule."

"This would be a good time for you to go because Mom'll have to drive out there all by herself," Rory said.

"Yeah, and I _hate_ driving out there by myself," Lorelai whined. "It's so lonely and scary, and I might break down on the highway and it'd be awhile before anyone could come help me because, you know, it's not near anything, and so then I'd be even lonelier and scaredier because I'd just be sitting out there all by myself in the dark."

"Scaredier?" Luke asked, slightly amused.

Lorelai frowned and grabbed his hand. "Please come and keep me company. . .pretty please?"

"I just told you, I have to check the schedule."

"I know, but I thought if I added some whining, I'd get some pity and it'd help push you toward rearranging the schedule so you could definitely come with me."

"No, the whining makes me start to question the idea of spending 45 minutes in a car with you," Luke informed her. "So you're better off nixing the whining."

Lorelai scoffed and shrugged toward Rory. "Now he tells me. I just wasted perfectly good whining for no reason."

"I'm pretty sure you can't run out of whine," Rory said. "So it's okay to waste a little now and then."

"Don't tell her that," Luke said. "Let her think she has a limited supply. Then maybe she'll try to conserve it to the point where she eventually gives it up completely."

"Impossible," Rory said, shaking her head. "She's been doing it for so long, it's just a part of who she is. It's one of her natural-born tendencies."

Luke sighed. "There isn't even a way we can reduce it a little?" 

Rory tilted her head doubtfully. "I don't know. We can - "

Lorelai waved her hand in the air. "Hi, quick question – why do you two always talk about me like I'm not here? I don't think you realize how often you do it. You'd think that as the wife and mother of the household, I'd get a little more respect, but no. . .you two just yap and yap about me like I'm invisible, and I gotta tell ya, sometimes it gets a little annoying." Lorelai pouted and scooped a large forkful of lasagna into her mouth.

Rory watched her chew for a moment, then glanced at Luke. "I think that reducing it's probably out of the question at this point." Luke nodded in agreement.

* * * 

On the following Tuesday morning, the alarm went off at 6:30. After a few seconds of trying to ignore the annoying beeping, Lorelai finally reached over and turned it off. She started to fall back asleep when she remembered what day it was. She smiled to herself, then rolled over and nudged Luke's back with her elbow. "Luuuuke. . .it's time to get up."

"I heard," he muttered groggily.

Lorelai nudged him again. "And it's your birthday. . ."

Luke groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Hurry, the guests for your surprise party are probably already waiting downstairs," Lorelai said. "You don't even have to get dressed. It's a pajama party."

Luke rolled over to look at her. "That's not funny."

Lorelai smiled. "It's a little funny." She rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow, and ran her hand over his chest. "So. . .you're the big three-eight. Forty's just around the corner. You're gonna need dentures and a walking cane soon. Oh, and maybe one of those adjustable beds like they have in hospitals." 

"People don't exactly become decrepit at age forty, you know," Luke informed her.

She shrugged. "But maybe we should get one of those beds anyway. They look like fun."

"Uh huh, we'll see." Luke rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. "I gotta take a shower." 

"Want some company?" Lorelai asked. "Or should I go downstairs and try to make you a special birthday breakfast?"

As Luke climbed out of bed, he said, "Well, in order to prevent a fire, I'll take the offer for company."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, I'll be right there." As Luke walked out of the bedroom, Lorelai sat up in the bed. "Four, three, two, one. . ."

"Lorelai!" Luke exclaimed from the hallway.

Lorelai giggled and walked out into the hallway. Luke was standing in front of the bathroom door, glaring at her. She had filled the bathroom with balloons, and a few had trickled out into the hallway when he opened the bathroom door. She grinned and shrugged innocently. "What? You said that the _bedroom_ couldn't be filled with balloons, not the _bathroom_." 

Luke sighed and shook his head. "You know, one of these days. . ." He glanced into the bathroom and his eyes widened. "No, you didn't." He picked up one of the balloons. "You blew up condoms?"

Lorelai giggled. "I ran out of balloons, and the bathroom wasn't quite filled yet." She tapped herself on the head. "Creative, huh?"

"Ugh, that's so . . ." He made a face and dropped it on the floor, shaking his head in disbelief. "Please tell me that Rory didn't help you with this."

"No, I did it all by myself," Lorelai said proudly. 

Luke walked into the bathroom and started kicking the balloons out into the hallway. "Jesus, Lorelai. . .look at this mess. . ."

Lorelai walked over to the bathroom doorway. "It's latex and air, Luke. It's not exactly messy."

"It will be once I pop all of them and then there are bits and pieces of latex all over the floor," Luke pointed out. He pulled back the shower curtain and found the tub filled with balloons, too. "Oh, my God."

Lorelai giggled. "Fun way to start off your birthday, huh?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Not really."

Lorelai walked over to him. "Well, then I guess we'll just have to think of a fun way to _end_ your birthday."

"I guess we will," he agreed, resting his hands on her waist. 

She draped her arms over his shoulders. "Got any suggestions?" 

Luke pulled her body up against his. "I'm sure we'll think of something." He glanced down at the balloons surrounding them. He kicked his foot, sending a few of them into the air, then sighed. "I guess I should be happy you picked the smallest room in the house to do something stupid to. It could've been worse." 

Lorelai smirked and patted him on the chest. "You haven't seen the diner yet."

* * *

After they had showered and dressed, Luke and Lorelai both walked downstairs. Rory, dressed in her school uniform, was in the kitchen rummaging through a cabinet. 

"Morning hon," Lorelai said.

Rory glanced over her shoulder. "Morning. Happy birthday, Luke."

"Thanks." Luke grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and sat down at the table.

Rory rummaged through the cabinet for a few more seconds, then turned around. "Are there no more Pop Tarts?"

Lorelai grimaced. "Oh, um, I think someone ate the last one." She casually nodded her head toward Luke.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Right, I'm sure Luke's the culprit." She walked past Lorelai and into her bedroom.

Lorelai walked to the doorway. "Forget Pop Tarts, come to the diner with me. Don't you wanna see the look on Luke's face when he sees all the birthday decorations?"

"Okay, you can knock it off with that now," Luke said from the table. "The bathroom's one thing, but you're not stupid enough to do something to the diner."

Lorelai turned around with a devious smirk. "Oh, yeah?"

Luke leaned back in his chair. "Yeah." He bit into his apple and chewed it slowly. 

"Oh, yeah?" They stared at each other for a few seconds before Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Okay, so I didn't do anything to the diner," she admitted. She wagged a finger at him. "But only because I didn't have time, not because I was worried about your reaction. We both know that you can't get mad at me."

"Not true. I've gotten mad at you before." 

She walked over to him and ran her fingers through his hair. "Let me rephrase – you know you can't get mad at me and _stay_ mad for longer than it takes me to slip on something low-cut, tight, or lacy." She placed her hand under his chin and tilted his head up. "Or for me to do this." She leaned down and kissed him deeply, softly stroking his tongue with hers. 

As she slowly pulled back from him, she smiled. "My womanly wiles are too strong for you to resist. Admit it."

"Never," he muttered, pulling her back down for another kiss. 

Rory walked out of her bedroom. "Hey, Mom, do you . . ." She stopped abruptly when she saw them kissing. "Oh, whoa, sorry. Never mind." 

Lorelai quickly pulled back and Luke glanced down at the table, embarrassed. Lorelai cleared her throat. "Uh, no, it's okay. What's up?"

Rory fidgeted with the button on her school blazer. "Um, did you want to. . .the things that I . . . in the bag. . .you know, for. . ." She nodded toward Luke.  


It took her a second to catch on, but then Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah, bring 'em out." As Rory walked back into her room, Lorelai patted Luke on the shoulder. "Let's see if this gets you mad."

"If _what_ gets me mad?"

Rory walked out of the bedroom with Luke's birthday presents. "Presents," Rory announced, dumping them on the table in front of him.

Luke rolled his eyes. "No."

Lorelai grinned. "Yes."

Luke sighed. "Come on, I told you that – "

Lorelai cupped her hand over his mouth. "I know what you told me, but I ignored you, so just forget the stupid whining and open them. There aren't that many anyway." She pulled her hand away and handed him a present. "Here."

Luke stared down at the presents and shook his head. "Why'd you do this?"

"Because we love you," Lorelai replied. "Now hurry up – the faster you open them, the faster we can go to the diner and eat."

Rory pouted and clutched her stomach. "Please hurry."

Luke exhaled slowly and began unwrapping the presents. He opened the wallet first, and he examined it quietly for a few seconds before Lorelai said, "It's a new wallet."

Luke nodded. "I see that. It's nice."

"Your old one's kind of. . .well, old," Lorelai said. "So I thought it might be time for a new one."

"Good thought." He set it aside and picked up another present. He unwrapped it and found some DVDs. He flipped through them. "Gladiator. . .Predator. . .Braveheart."

"Yeah, we tried to find some manly movies for ya," Lorelai said. 

"How'd we do?" Rory asked.

Luke nodded approvingly. "They're pretty manly. Thanks." 

He reached for the last present, but Lorelai grabbed it first and hid it behind her back. "Oh, you can save that one for later."

"How come?"

"Because you'll be embarrassed to open it in front of me," Rory said.

He glanced warily at Lorelai. "What'd you buy?"

"You'll see."

"Wait – but you already know what it is?" Luke asked Rory.

"I know _what_ it is, but I don't know what it _looks_ _like_," she explained.

Luke narrowed his eyes with confusion. "Um. . .all right."

Lorelai smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "You'll like it. It's cute."

"Uh huh." Luke crumbled up the wrapping paper and walked it over to the garbage can. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me get my things," Rory said. She walked into her bedroom. 

Lorelai set the gift on the table, then walked over to him. "Remember, we're eating at the inn tonight for your birthday dinner."

"I told you, we really don't have to celebrate it by going out," Luke said with a shrug. "I don't care."

"You'll care once you see the new slinky red dress I bought specifically for this occasion," Lorelai assured him. 

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. And I'm going out in said dress tonight whether you come with me or not," Lorelai said. "But I gotta warn you – this is a sexy dress. A powerful dress. The kind of dress a single woman wears out when her sole purpose is to have a one-night stand. So, you know, if I go out alone, the guys might not see the wedding ring and mistake me for a single woman and start hitting on me, and the temptation might be too strong for me to resist."

Luke shoved his hands into his pockets. "Must be some dress."

Lorelai nodded. "Oh, it is, trust me. I may need the assistance of double sided tape." 

"Maybe I should go tonight after all," he decided. 

"Good plan." Lorelai smiled and pressed her lips against his. 

Rory walked out of her bedroom with her backpack. "Okay, I'm. . .whoa." She grimaced, then rolled her eyes. "God, do you guys do that every time I leave the room?"

They quickly pulled apart, and Lorelai smiled at her. "Yes, so if, in the future, you could try to stay away for longer periods of time, that'd be great. Thanks."

Luke rolled his eyes and walked past them toward the front door. "Let's go." 

* * *

That night, Luke and Lorelai ate dinner in the Independence Inn dining room. When they had finished their main courses, a waiter took away their plates, and moments later, a second waiter set down two slices of cake on the table. "From the chef," he announced, then walked away. 

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, that's nice." She watched him glance down at it hesitantly. "Now, don't tell me you're not going to eat a piece of birthday cake that Sookie made specifically for you."

Luke sighed. "I guess it'd be rude not to at least try it." 

"Yes, it would," she said, digging into her piece. 

Luke sighed and cut off a small piece of cake with his fork. He leaned back in his chair as he chewed it slowly. As Lorelai took a sip of her water, she stared across the table at him. When she saw his gaze drift downward, she smiled. "Three minutes."

"What's three minutes?"

"That's how long it's been since the last time you not-so-subtly admired my lovely plunging neckline. And then it was three minutes before that, and then another three minutes before that. It's a nice little pattern you've worked out." Lorelai smiled. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Luke smirked. "I'm your husband. I'm allowed to admire it guilt-free as often as I like. It's one of my rights."  


Lorelai adjusted the thin straps of the dress. "So I guess there are some perks to this marriage stuff after all, huh?"

"Yup." He ate another forkful of cake. "This is pretty good."

"Everything Sookie makes is good," Lorelai said. "So. . .tell me. . .besides the horrible traditions of presents and cake that were imposed on you – how's your birthday been so far?"

Luke nodded affirmatively. "Not bad." He gave a quick downward glance at her dress before he brought his gaze back to his cake.

Lorelai smiled. "One minute – wow. Having trouble maintaining the regular pattern?"

Luke gave her a sheepish smile. "What can I say – the dress looks good."

Lorelai leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. "It'll look better later tonight when it's crumpled up on the floor next to the bed."

Luke smiled, then glanced around for a waiter. "Uh. . .check, please."

Lorelai smiled and nodded toward his plate. "Unh uh. No dessert until you finish your cake."

* * *

When they had finished eating, they walked out onto the back porch of the inn. The cool night air made Lorelai shiver, and she tightened the belt of her jacket. She laced her fingers through Luke's as they walked along the pathway toward the bridge. They stopped in the middle of it and both leaned over the railing to look down at the water. 

Lorelai glanced over at Luke, who was staring down at his wedding ring. Lorelai watched him for a few more seconds, then finally said, "Got something you wanna share with the rest of the class?"

Luke turned to her. "Huh?" 

"What're you thinking about? Something wrong with your ring?" she asked, gesturing toward it.

"Uh, no, it's fine." He glanced back down at it for a few more seconds. "I was just thinking about how. . ." He shrugged and looked at her. "I don't know. . .about how I like it."

"Oh." Lorelai glanced down at her identical ring. "It _is_ pretty, isn't it?"

Luke waved her off. "No, not the ring. . .I mean. . .ya know, being married and stuff."

"Oh." Lorelai smiled. "It's not as bad as you used to think it was, huh?"

"Nah." Luke shook his head softly, then smiled. "It's actually pretty nice."

"Because you have a wife who can pull off a dress like this?" Lorelai asked, gesturing to her outfit.

Luke smirked. "That's only part of it." 

Lorelai gasped. "You mean to tell me that our marriage is not based on the sole fact that I'm a babe?"

"Nope." Luke reached for her hand. "Believe it or not, there are other things about you that I like."

"Wow. Intriguing." She smiled and kissed him. "I like being married, too."

"Glad to hear it."

"And I like having a guy to buy things for," she said. She pulled back from him, reached into her purse and pulled out the leftover present from that morning. "Here."

"You brought that with you?"

"Wow, your observation skills never cease to amaze me," she said, rolling her eyes. "Open it."

Luke sighed as he slowly unwrapped the gift. He stuffed the wrapping paper into his pocket, then opened the small box and looked inside. "You got me. . .underwear?"

Lorelai giggled. "Take 'em out." Luke pulled the folded up boxer shorts out of the box. "Read 'em," she urged.

Luke unfolded them and found the writing on the front. "Objects inside are larger than they appear." He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Oh, geez."

Lorelai giggled. "Cute, huh? And thoughtful me pre-washed them so you can wear them tonight."

"No way. I'm not wearing these."  


Lorelai frowned. "Aw, why not – who's gonna see 'em besides me?" 

He patted himself on the chest. "Me. I'll see 'em." 

Lorelai pouted. "Aw, come on, please? Pretty please, for your sexy babe of a wife?" 

"No."

Lorelai stepped closer to him and brought her face close to his. "Come on – if you wear them to bed, I promise I'll pull them off with just my teeth." 

"No, I – " 

She interrupted by clicking her teeth together a couple of times. "An offer like this only comes around once in a blue moon." Luke sighed and glanced out toward the lake. Lorelai could tell he was actually considering it now, and she quickly turned his face back toward her. In a singsong voice, she said, "Come on. . .you know you want to. . .all the other husbands are doing it."

Luke smirked, then leaned forward and kissed her. "I'll think about it."

Lorelai grinned. "Thank you." They started walking across the bridge back toward the inn. "So. . .you like me for more than my looks, huh?"

"Yup."

"Good to know." She stopped walking and turned to him. "Though, I have to admit, I mainly love you because you're such a beefcake."

Luke smiled. "Oh yeah?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup. Your personality and all that, I can pretty much take it or leave it." She ran her hands over his chest. "But man, when you find a guy with pecs like these, you snatch him right up."

"So, I'm essentially just a piece of meat to you," Luke deduced.

"Pretty much."

Luke nodded understandably. "I'm good with that."

Lorelai smiled and kissed him. "Good." She laced her fingers through his and they continued walking back toward the inn.

* * *

To be continued. . .

Thanks so much for the reviews. For those who asked, I'm not sure how long this story will be. Somewhere between 15 and 30 chapters, maybe? But don't quote me on that, I'm not good at estimating. And to Jen – thanks for letting me know how the Lorelai/parents situation was coming off in the story. I didn't mean for it to come out the way it was, so I've altered the Luke/Lorelai discussion about them in the first chapter. Hopefully this way works better. 

The next chapter is about halfway done, and I'm aiming for a Thursday or Friday release date. Again, don't quote me on that, but that's what I'm hoping for. :)


	4. Part 4

"It's Still There – part 4"

* * *

The next night, Lorelai and Luke were sitting amongst the crowd at a town meeting with Taylor up at the podium. Taylor flipped through some papers on his clipboard, then glanced out at the crowd "Okay, just one minute, folks. I need to discuss something with Miss Patty." Taylor covered the microphone with his hand as Miss Patty walked over to the podium.

Luke sighed and put his arm around Lorelai's shoulder. Lorelai leaned against him and propped her feet up on the empty chair in front of her. "How long have we been here?"

Luke checked his watch. "Half an hour. And have we accomplished anything? No."

"Do we ever, gorgeous?" Babette asked from behind them.

Luke shook his head. "No. So why do we keep coming?"

"Because one day they will discuss something important, and we wanna be here when it happens to witness it," Lorelai said.

"Come on, Taylor," Andrew called. "We don't have all night."

The crowd murmured in agreement, and Taylor gestured for Miss Patty to sit down. He uncovered the microphone. "All right, townsfolk – for the last order of business, we want to let everyone know that we'll be taking up a collection for a retirement present for Gabby of Gabby's Flower Shop, who, as you all know, will be closing her shop on Saturday. Anyone who'd like to contribute – which should be _everyone_, seeing as how Gabby's shop has been a part of this community for almost two decades – can see me after the meeting or can leave a donation in the can that will be set up in the front of the market."

"God, does he ever come up with ideas that don't involve us donating money?" Luke muttered. "Anybody ever see _him_ actually donate for anything?"

"I haven't," Lorelai replied. "But then again, I don't normally spend my free time watching Taylor to see what he does. And if I ever do, please have me committed."

"Will do."

"Thank you."

Luke stood up and called, "Are we done here?" 

"Just a second." Taylor flipped through his clipboard, then said, "Okay, I think we covered everything on the agenda. I'd like to close the meeting with the announcement that the annual dance marathon will take place a week from Saturday, so start digging out those dancing shoes." Taylor pounded the gavel on the podium. "Dismissed."

Lorelai gasped as she stood up to leave. "Oh, the dance marathon!" She patted Luke excitedly on the shoulder. "We're totally gonna win this year. I can feel it. Kirk is going down – that trophy is ours."

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "Who's we?"

Lorelai pulled on her jacket. "Me and you."

Luke let out a surprised laugh. "Right. Me and you. . .that's a good one."

"What?"

"I'm not dancing in that marathon," Luke informed her as they walked out of the dance studio and headed toward the diner. 

Lorelai scoffed loudly. "And why not?"

"What do you mean, why not? You ask me to be your partner every year, and every year I say no. This year ain't any different."

"You're my husband, Luke," Lorelai reminded him, waving her ring in front of his face. "That means that you are obligated to dance with me in the marathon."

"I don't remember that being in the wedding vows."

"Luuuuke," Lorelai whined. She latched onto his arm. "Come on. You don't even have to move that much. You can just stand there shaking your butt like George Michael in the Faith video."

Luke shook his head. "Forget it. Look, I know you have this big obsession with winning this stupid thing, so don't let me stand in your way. If you wanna enter it with someone else, go ahead. I don't care."

"But I wanna enter it with you."

Luke shook his head. "Not gonna happen."

"Please? Pretty please?" she begged.

"No," he said sternly. "Look, I'll bring you coffee. I'll bring you food. Hell, I'll even sit on the bleachers and watch for a little while if you want, but I am _not_ entering that contest with you."

Lorelai sighed loudly and frowned up at him. 

Luke rolled his eyes. "And don't even try that pouty face 'cause it won't change my mind."

"Tsk, you're such a party pooper," she muttered.

"It's not a party, it's a stupid dance marathon."

"Then you're a dance marathon pooper," she said. "One way or another, you're a pooper."

"I'm content with that. Put it on my tombstone." 

"I will, right under the phrase, 'Hated to make his wife happy.'"

Luke glanced over at her. "Oh, you're telling me I don't make you happy?" He stopped walking and turned to face her. "If memory serves me correct, I made you pretty damn happy last night." He held up two fingers and added, "Twice."

Lorelai smiled and pressed her palms against his. "Told you we'd find a fun way to end your birthday." As their fingers laced together, she wrinkled her nose and admitted, "Okay, fine, you always do things to make me happy." She kissed him. "But this would make me even happier." She kissed him again. "I love you."

"Back at ya." Luke kissed her, then pulled back and shook his head. "But I ain't dancing."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine, fine – I guess I'll just have to go out and find some other guy to touch for twenty-four hours straight. Is that what you want?"

"As long as there's no touching below the waist. . .go for it."

"So touching _above_ the waist is allowed? He can just hang onto my breasts the whole time if he wants?" 

"Sure. Then after the marathon's over, say goodbye to him and have 'em meet me in the alley behind the diner." 

Lorelai smiled. "Ooh, I love tough Luke."

He gestured to the diner. "You coming in?"

Lorelai glanced through the diner window. "Hm. . .is there any pie? Maybe I'll bring some home for Rory. She's gonna need some after all the studying she's been doing."

"There might be some left," he said. They walked into the diner and Lorelai waited at the counter while Luke walked into the kitchen. He returned a minute later and handed her a Styrofoam container. "Here."

"Thanks. Did you – "

"Yes, I put in a piece for you, too," he interrupted.

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you." She leaned across the counter and kissed him. "See you in a little while."

* * *

On Sunday afternoon, Luke sat down at the kitchen table with a stack of envelopes. He flipped through them a few times, then glanced impatiently toward the living room and called, "What's taking so long?" 

"I can't find the checkbook," Lorelai called back. 

"I told you, it's on the desk." 

"Well, I'm standing here looking at the desk and I'm not seeing a checkbook, so unless you accidentally hid it under the invisibility cloak, it's not over here," she replied.

"Jesus," Luke muttered. He walked to the living room, where Lorelai was standing in front of the desk with her hands on her hips. "Did you move anything, or did you just stand there looking at the desk and expect the checkbook to jump into your hands?"

"Hello, did you _tell_ me to move something?" she asked. "You said it would be on the desk – I'm looking at the desk, I don't see it."

He rummaged through some papers. "Hm."

Lorelai pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Ha! You can't find it either."

Luke picked up the telephone book and found the checkbook underneath it. "Right there where I said it was – on the desk." He dropped the phone book on the desk chair, grabbed the checkbook, and walked back toward the kitchen. 

Lorelai followed behind him, muttering "I don't think the phrase 'under the phone book' was in your description of where it was." Luke sat down at the table, and Lorelai sat across from him with a sigh. "Paying bills is boring."

"Yeah, it's also a necessity, so suck it up," he replied, tossing the checkbook in front of her. 

Lorelai grinned. "Come on, let's make it fun. Let's play Strip Pay-the-bills. Every time we write a check, one of us takes off a piece of clothing."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Let's not." He pulled a credit card bill out of an envelope and read it over. "Jeez . . .it's still pretty high from all the wedding stuff." He handed the bill to her. "Pay off three hundred."

Lorelai wrote out the check, ripped it out, and set it on top of the bill's envelope. Then she unbuttoned her shirt, pulled it off, and dropped it on the floor. "Okay, next."

Luke stared at her with wide eyes. "What the hell are you doing?"

Lorelai adjusted her bra strap. "Playing Strip Pay-the-bills by myself."

Luke sighed. "Jeez. Come on."

"Look, I can sit here and whine the whole time about how this is a boring way to spend a Sunday afternoon, or I can sit here and slowly remove my clothing piece by piece. It's up to you. Frankly, I don't see what your problem is. I didn't even force you to participate – all you have to do is sit there and watch. It's like getting a free strip show."

Luke glanced nervously at the back door. "My problem is that Rory's gonna walk in at any minute and see her mother half-naked at the kitchen table."

Lorelai glanced at the clock on the microwave. "Rory won't be home for at least an hour and a half. The movie just started. Chill. Relax. Enjoy the show." She leaned toward him and smiled. "And if you're a good boy, later you can stuff your bill into my envelope." 

Luke rolled his eyes, but a small smirk appeared on his lips as he glanced down at the table. "You're something, you know that?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I know. Next bill, please."

Luke pulled out another bill and read it over. "God, it's ridiculous what they charge for cable in this town."

"It's all those dirty movies you order on Pay Per View," Lorelai said, grabbing the bill from him. 

"Yeah, that must be it." 

He watched her write out the check, then rip it out and set it on top of the bill. She pushed it aside, then turned to him to wait for the next one. She saw him staring at her, and she shrugged. "What?"

Luke blinked a few times and shook his head. "Oh, nothing." He picked up another envelope. "Uh. . .this is - "

Lorelai smiled and wagged her finger at him. "You were waiting for me to take something off."

"I was not," he muttered, opening the bill. 

"Oh man, for someone who protested Strip Pay-the-bills, you certainly got into the game pretty fast."

"So, this is for the mortgage," Luke continued.

"Well, I was gonna do every other bill, but since you're antsy. . ." She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. She pulled it off, rolled it up in a ball, and tossed it at him. "How's that?" 

Luke pulled the bra off of his shoulder and dropped it on the table. "As I was saying, this is for the mortgage." Luke handed it to her. "Same amount as last – " The doorbell interrupted him. 

Lorelai gasped and crossed her arms over her bare chest. "Oh my God! Who in their right mind would be interrupting Strip Pay-the-bills?"

Luke's eyes widened and he stood up. "I don't know, but hurry up and put your clothes on." 

There was a knock, and they heard the front door being pushed open. "Hello, anyone home?" Emily's voice called.

"Mom!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Uh, hold on a sec!" She gathered up her clothes and rushed into Rory's bedroom to get dressed. 

Luke walked to the front door and saw Emily and Richard standing in the doorway. "Uh, hey."

"Luke," Emily greeted him with a smile.

"Hello Luke," Richard said. "How goes it?"

"Uh, pretty good, thanks. How. . uh, how goes it with you?" he asked, nervously shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Very well."

"Uh, what brings you around this neck of the woods?" Luke asked.

"We were just on our way home from visiting friends in Woodmont and thought we'd drop by," Emily explained.

"Oh, that's nice," Lorelai said as she walked down the hall and joined them in the entryway. 

"Hello Lorelai," Emily said. She glanced down at Lorelai's shirt and narrowed her eyes. "Uh, your buttons are a little. . ." She gestured to them. 

Lorelai glanced down. "What?" She realized that she'd missed the top button, leaving the whole shirt askew. "Oops." She shrugged and let out an embarrassed laugh. "I missed a button. It's funny that we didn't notice it before now because it's probably been like that since this morning when I got dressed. But, you know, sometimes you don't notice things right away, and then you get used to how it feels and looks, so you don't realize that it doesn't feel right. . .or look right. And sometimes – " Luke cleared his throat and she abruptly stopped talking. "Right, fixing the shirt now." As she turned around and adjusted the buttons, Luke rolled his eyes and glanced down at the floor.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Emily glanced back and forth between Luke and Lorelai. "Are we interrupting something?"

"No, not at all," Luke quickly replied. 

Lorelai turned back around, her shirt now buttoned properly, and replied, "No. Come in, sit down. We were just paying some bills."

"Oh, is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?" Emily asked with a smirk. She walked into the living room, and Richard followed behind her. 

Lorelai let out a quiet gasp and whispered, "Did my mom just make a sex joke?" 

"Uh, yeah. . .I think she did."

"She must've been drinking at her friends' house," she whispered. They walked to the living room, where Emily and Richard were now sitting on the couch. Luke sat down in the armchair near the fireplace, and Lorelai perched herself on the arm of the chair. "So. . ."

"So, is Rory home?" Emily asked.

"Uh, no, actually, she went to the movies," Lorelai replied. "She won't be home for a while."

"Aw, it's a shame we won't get to see her," Emily said.

"You just saw her two days ago, Mom," Lorelai reminded her. 

"Yes, well, it would've been nice to see her more than once this week."

Lorelai smiled. "Well, you get to see _me_ more than once, so I bet you're just thrilled to pieces about that."

"Of course we are," Emily replied. "As I'm sure you are with getting to see _us _twice this week." 

"Oh, absolutely." She smiled, then glanced past them. "Oh, you know what, you guys haven't seen the pictures in our wedding album." She jumped up and walked over to retrieve it from the desk, then walked back and handed it to Emily. "There. Take a look."

"Oh, lovely, thank you," Emily replied. She rested the book on the coffee table and turned to the first page.

Lorelai turned to Luke. "Uh, can I see you in the other room for a sec?" She started walking down the hallway and beckoned for him to follow. 

He stood up and followed her into the kitchen. "What?"

Lorelai picked up the checkbook from the table. "Let's give them the first pay-back check while they're here."

"What? Now?"

"Yeah. We keep putting it off for God knows what reason, so let's just do it already," Lorelai said. She leaned over the table and started writing out a check. 

"Wait, what are you doing? We never talked about how much we're gonna pay a month," Luke said, grabbing the pen from her.

She grabbed it back. "I'm making it out for a hundred."

"But – "

"That's a good starting amount," she interrupted. "If it gets to be too much to handle each month, we'll adjust it." She finished writing out the check and ripped it out of the checkbook. "Come on." She grabbed his hand and led him back to the living room. 

Lorelai cleared her throat. "Uh, Mom, Dad. . ." They both looked up from the photo album, and Lorelai held out the check. "Here."

Richard took the check from her, and he and Emily both read it over. "What is this for?" Emily asked.

"Um, well, when I first borrowed money from you for Chilton, I told you that I would pay you back, and now. . .this is me starting to pay you back," Lorelai explained. "I mean, it's obviously gonna take awhile, but. . .it's a start. We'll pay you back a little each month."

Richard held the check out toward her. "Lorelai, this isn't necessary."

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, it is."

"We don't want your money, Lorelai," Emily added. "We don't mind helping you out with Rory's education."

"It's _your_ money," Lorelai replied. "It's money that I owe you. It was a loan, not a gift, and if it takes me ten years to pay it all back to you, then. . .so be it. I fully intended from the beginning to pay you that money back, and that's what I'm gonna do."

"Lorelai, this is ridiculous. You don't have to do this," Emily said.

"Yes, I do," she insisted. "Take it."

"So I guess this means you're able to pay for Chilton yourselves now?" Richard asked.

Lorelai blinked a few times. "What?" She shook her head. "No." She glanced at Luke, who was uncomfortably standing next to her. "We still need you to pay for the tuition."

"You still need us to pay?" Richard asked.

"Wait - so you're starting to pay us back for money that you're still borrowing?" Emily asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Then why don't you just wait until she's out of Chilton," Emily suggested. "It'll be easier."

"Easier than what, Mom?" Lorelai sighed and walked over to sit in the armchair. "There is nothing difficult to grasp about this situation – we give you money, you take the money. Simple. You're still paying for Chilton, we'll still be at Friday night dinners. . .everything's basically the same as it was, except now I give you a little piece of paper with some numbers and letters on it." 

Emily and Richard were both quiet for a few seconds. "You're sure about this?" Richard asked. 

"Positive," Lorelai replied. 

"Well, then. . .fine." He folded the check and slipped it into his pocket. 

"Good." Lorelai stood up. "So, how 'bout I go make some coffee while you finish looking at those pictures?"

Emily nodded. "Coffee would be nice."

Lorelai turned around and patted Luke on the shoulder. "Can you move, or are you frozen solid?" She started walking down the hallway.

Luke followed her to the kitchen. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lorelai started making the coffee. "Nothing. I just found it slightly amusing how you just. . .stood there. It's like you were surrounded by snakes and were afraid to move or make any noise."

Luke shrugged. "I didn't have anything to say."

"I noticed." She rummaged through a cabinet under the counter and pulled out a serving tray. "I'm gonna get the coffee ready. Go back in there and keep 'em company."

"By myself?"

"Yes, by yourself."

"I don't know what to say to 'em," he said, glancing toward the living room.

"You don't have to say anything. They're looking at pictures."

"What if they finish that?"

"Well, then, talk to them about the diner. My dad loves hearing about people working. Ooh, or if you're at a real loss for conversation, ask them if they like the cloud background on our checks, then offer to show them the underwear that inspired it." 

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, nice, thank you."

Lorelai smiled and pushed him toward the living room.

* * *

The next day, Lorelai and Sookie walked into the diner for lunch. They sat down at a table, and it was only a few seconds before Luke walked over. "Hey."

"Hi Luke," Sookie said. 

Lorelai smiled up at him. "Hey." She glanced at the back of his hand and gasped. "Aw, no, it's gone."

"What's gone?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai giggled. "I drew a butterfly on his hand last night in marker."

"_Permanent_ marker," Luke clarified, rolling his eyes.

"Which is obviously false advertising since it's gone now," Lorelai pointed out. 

Luke examined his hand. "You can still see it a little bit."

"What'd you use to take it off?" Lorelai asked.

"I had some heavy duty cleanser in the back," Luke said, gesturing over his shoulder. 

"It wouldn't come off at home," Lorelai told Sookie. 

"What'd you try, just regular soap?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, I tried to get it off for like twenty minutes last night and nothing happened," Luke said.

Miss Patty had just walked into the diner, and as she passed by and heard him, she patted Luke on the shoulder. "Oh, honey, you should see a doctor about that. There are all kinds of pills they can prescribe nowadays."

Lorelai and Sookie both giggled, and Luke's face reddened. "That's not what we were talking about, Patty."

"Aw, it's nothing to be ashamed of, dear," Miss Patty said comfortingly. 

Luke pursed his lips. "We were not – " 

"Really, it happens to lots of men your age." Patty smiled sympathetically, then walked away and sat down with a woman at the corner table.

Luke sighed and turned to the girls, who were still giggling. "It's not funny," he said sternly.

They both stopped, and Lorelai shook her head. "No, not at all, not funny. Now, before your meeting with the sex therapist, grab us a couple of burgers and some sodas."

As Luke huffed and walked away, Sookie started to giggle again. "Oh, man, that'll be around town by the end of the hour."

"Who would have thought that me drawing a little butterfly on his hand would eventually lead to the town thinking he's suffering from erectile dysfunction?"

"Not me," Sookie confirmed. "Why'd you draw on him anyway?"

Lorelai smiled. "Because I felt like it and he can't say no to me. "

"Oh, he can't? So it wasn't Luke you were talking about when you said, 'My own husband won't dance with me in the dance marathon'?" Sookie teased.

Lorelai frowned. "Ugh, don't remind me. This sucks. I thought this year would be different. This year I'm married, I have a built-in guy for whenever I feel like doing something that requires a guy, and here's something that requires one – and my guy won't do it."

"Did you really expect him to?" Sookie asked. "You know he hates dancing. I'm surprised you even got him to dance at your wedding."

Lorelai shrugged. "Yeah, I know, it's totally not his thing. I shouldn't expect him to do a complete turnaround and suddenly become Fred Astaire just because we're married." She sighed. "But I only have a few more days left to find a partner. Who am I gonna dance with, Sookie? Give me some suggestions."

"Um. . ." Sookie tapped her fingers on the table while she thought. "I don't know. . .Michel?"

Lorelai let out a surprised laugh. "Oh, God – me and Michel? Can you even picture that scenario?"

Sookie giggled and shook her head. "No, not at all."

Luke walked back to the table with two sodas. As he set them down, he sighed and asked, "Are you still laughing about. . ." He gestured toward Miss Patty's table.

Lorelai shook her head. "No, we're trying to think of potential dance partners for me since my husband refuses to participate."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Don't start. We went over this."

"I know, I know, you're not dancing. But the least you could do is help me find another partner," Lorelai said.

"I'll try to think of someone," Luke promised. He glanced out the window, and his eyes landed on Taylor and some men standing in front of the empty flower shop next door. "What's going on out there?"

Lorelai and Sookie both glanced out the window. "I don't know," Lorelai said. 

"Be right back," Luke muttered. He walked out of the diner, and Lorelai glanced at Sookie. "Be right back." She jumped up out of her chair and followed Luke out onto the sidewalk and over to Taylor.

"Taylor, what's going on here?" Luke demanded. 

Taylor looked up from the blueprint he'd been looking at. "Oh, nothing," Taylor replied. "Just scoping out the site for my new business venture."

"Business venture? What the hell are you talking about?"

Taylor handed the blueprint to one of the men next to him. "Well, if you must know, upon her retirement, Gabby sold me this property. . ."

Luke's eyes widen. "What!"

"And I've decided to turn it into an old fashioned ice cream soda shop," he finished. "I think it'll be a nice addition to the town. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Mm! That sounds yummy." Luke shot her a look, and she shrugged. "What? It does." 

Luke exhaled loudly and turned back to Taylor. "This town does not need an old fashioned ice cream soda shop, and it sure as hell doesn't need one right next to my diner!"

"On the contrary – I think it's a perfect combination. After your customers enjoy a nice meal at the diner, they can stop by my soda shop for a nice ice cream soda for dessert," Taylor explained. "It's the perfect location for everyone. I think we'll make a good team."

Luke grimaced at the thought, and he stared at the front of the building. A sign had been placed in the window promoting it as the future home of the soda shop. "How long have you've been planning this?"

"Oh, a few weeks or so," Taylor replied. "But I decided not to tell anyone until the place was officially ready to be remodeled."

"Remodeled?" Luke pursed his lips. "You're gonna be doing construction right next door? Do you know how inconvenient that'll be for me?"

"Well, I have to do it, Luke," Taylor said. "The property is not properly set up for a dining establishment."

"This is ridiculous. You can't just. . .why can't you. . .we don't need a. . ." Luke groaned and clenched his fists at his sides. "Dammit, Taylor!" He turned and stormed back toward the diner.

Lorelai glanced after him, then turned back to Taylor. "Uh, he wishes you luck on your new business." She turned and walked back to the diner. 

Lorelai sat back down with Sookie, who immediately asked, "What's going on? Luke didn't seem too happy."

"Taylor bought the flower shop from Gabby and he's turning into some kind of soda shop place," Lorelai explained. She glanced toward the counter looking for Luke. "And someone's not too happy about his new neighbor."

"Ah, got it." Sookie glanced out the window. "But a soda shop sounds cool."

Lorelai smiled. "I know, I'm kind of excited."

"You gonna go try to calm Mr. Grumps down?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "Nah, he'll get over it." 

Luke walked out of the kitchen and over to their table. He set their plates down, shot an evil look outside toward Taylor, then turned around and walked back to the kitchen. 

Lorelai glanced at Sookie and shrugged. "Eventually."

* * *

Two nights later, Lorelai and Rory sat on either ends of the couch, facing each other as they both read. Lorelai reached her hand into the bag of M&M's on her lap and pulled out a handful. She popped them into her mouth and mumbled, "Oh, hey, guess what."

Rory lowered her book. "Okay, that chocolate flavored spit that's rolling down your chin? Very attractive."

Lorelai wiped her mouth and chewed the rest of the candy. "I just took this quiz, 'What rock star are you?' and I got Madonna. I'm a material girl."

"Very nice. But are you Madonna before or after Swept Away?" Rory asked.

Lorelai made a face. "Ugh, before, I hope."

"I wouldn't be bragging about it if it was after," Rory said.

The front door opened, and Luke walked into the house. He walked into the living room and stood behind the couch. "Hey."

Lorelai smiled up at him. "Hi."

"Hey Luke," Rory said.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Oh, um, Rory was trying to convince me that any independent contractors working on the uncompleted Death Star were innocent victims when the Rebels destroyed it," Lorelai replied. 

Rory giggled. "Very nice, Dante Hicks. I can't believe you still have that line memorized."

"And I can't believe I let you watch that movie when you were so young. What was I thinking?"

"No one _ever_ knows the motivation behind your thinking," Luke answered.

"I haven't seen that movie in so long," Lorelai said.  


"We should rent the whole trilogy one night and have a little marathon," Rory suggested.

"Good plan," Lorelai agreed. "And speaking of marathons. . ." She glanced up at Luke and smiled. "Ask me."

"Ask you what?"

Lorelai rubbed her palms together excitedly. "Ask me who my dance partner is."

"You found a dance partner?" Luke asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you now," Lorelai said. "It just happened like an hour ago. Guess who it is."

Luke shrugged. "No idea. Andrew?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Nope. Try again."

"Eddie?"

"The mailman? Nope."

"One of the Pete's?"

"Nope."

Luke sighed and glanced at Rory. "A little help, please."

"Dad," Rory said.

Luke's eyes widened. "Dad? Uh. . .as in, your dad?" he asked Rory. He brought his gaze to Lorelai. "Christopher?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yup."

Rory stood up and picked up her empty glass from the coffee table. "I'm gonna get more soda. I'll be right back." She walked to the kitchen.

Luke shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced down at the floor. "So. . .Christopher. . .is your dance partner. That's . . .uh, a surprise."

"Yeah, I know. He called to talk to Rory, and then _we_ were talking for a little while, and I mentioned how I was looking for a dance partner, and I guess I sounded pretty desperate or something, because he offered. He said it sounded like fun and that he didn't have any plans this weekend anyway."

Luke slowly nodded as he took in the information. "Huh."

"Yeah. So, now you won't have to hear me whine about finding a partner 'cause I finally have one," Lorelai said, patting him on the arm. "Isn't that great?"

"Oh. . .yeah. . .sure." He cleared his throat and nodded a few times. "Yeah, that's. . .that works out good." 

Lorelai nodded and glanced down at the open magazine on her lap. "Oh, hey, do you wanna know what rock star you are? There's this cool quiz in here." She smiled up at him. "I'm Madonna."

He shook his head and gestured toward the steps. "Uh, no, I think I'm gonna head to bed."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, already? It's still early." 

"Yeah, I know, but I'm pretty tired. Long day."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay. 'Night, hon."

"Night." 

He started to walk away, but she reached out and grabbed his shirt sleeve. "Whoa, wait, no goodnight kiss?" Lorelai asked. He leaned over and chastely pecked her on the lips. Lorelai pulled back and stared up at him questioningly. "Okay, that was like kissing my brother. Well, I don't have a brother, so I don't know for sure. Not that if I did have a brother, I would know, because I probably wouldn't be kissing him, but I'm just saying that it wasn't the most passionate kiss."

Luke let out a sigh, then leaned down and kissed her again. "Happy?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"I just told you, I'm tired. I'm ready for bed. I don't feel like standing here talking about whether or not I kiss like your imaginary brother."

Lorelai held up both hands in mock surrender. "Okay, I'm sorry, forget it. Go to bed. 'Night."

"'Night," he muttered as he headed for the steps. Lorelai watched him with a confused look as he disappeared up the staircase. 

* * *

To be continued. . . .

Okay, as you can see, I'm trying to work some season 3 stuff into the story, but I have to tweak it a little bit to make it fit in. Hopefully, it's working out okay so far. Thanks for all the feedback. It's very much appreciated, and it's keeping me motivated, so please review. :)


	5. Part 5

"It's Still There – part 5"

* * *

The next morning, the alarm buzzed, and after Lorelai had turned it off, she rested her head back against the pillow and muttered, "Luke, time to get up." Not hearing his usual grunt of acknowledgment, she tried to nudge him, but her elbow didn't make the usual contact with his body. Confused, she lifted her head and glanced over at his side of the bed. It was empty.

She climbed out of bed and pulled on her robe. After giving a quick glance toward the bathroom and finding it empty, she walked downstairs to look for him. Luke was nowhere to be found, and Lorelai slowly pushed open Rory's bedroom door and peeked inside. 

Rory had just climbed out of bed and was gathering her school clothes. She glanced over at the door and saw Lorelai. "Hey."

"Hey," Lorelai said. She pushed the door open wider and glanced around.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Uh, looking for Luke," she replied.

"And you thought he was in here?" Rory asked, narrowing her eyes. "Uh, I prefer guys my own age. And ones that _aren't_ married to my mom."

"I know, sorry, I just. . .ran out of places to look," Lorelai said with a shrug. "Can't find him. Do you think he was kidnapped?" 

Rory rolled her eyes. "Doubtful. Maybe he went to work already. Is his truck here?"

"I didn't check." Lorelai walked over to Rory's window and glanced out at the front yard. "Hm."

* * * 

An hour later, Lorelai walked into the diner and up to Luke at the counter. He nodded toward her. "Hey."

"Hi," Lorelai said. "Uh, so, you left pretty early this morning."

"Yeah, I helped Caesar open up," Luke said. He grabbed a towel and started wiping down the counter.

Lorelai watched him for a few seconds. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied with a shrug.

"You don't seem fine. You look like something's bugging you," Lorelai observed.

He looked up from the counter. "You want breakfast?" 

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at his curtness, then glanced over at the muffin display. "Uh, yeah. Coffee and a blueberry muffin to go." 

Luke nodded and went to get her order. As he placed the cup and bag in front of her, he said, "I'm going over to John's house tonight. I don't know what time I'll be home."

"Aw, really?" Lorelai frowned. "Rory won't be home either, so I was hoping we could hang out. . .you know, get a movie or something. I hardly saw you at all yesterday."

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, well. . .sorry. I'm busy." He was quiet for a moment as he resumed wiping the counter, then muttered, "Why don't you invite _Christopher _over to watch something with you."

Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "What. . ." She exhaled and folded her arms across her chest. "Is that what's bothering you? Me dancing with Christopher?"

"It's not bothering me," he replied with a shrug.

Lorelai scoffed. "It obviously is, Luke!" 

Luke glanced around at the handful of customers in the diner. "Lower your voice."

Lorelai sighed. "Luke, if this is the reason behind your new attitude, which I've only had to deal with it for two minutes and already hate, we need to talk, because the sooner it goes, the better."

"What's there to talk about?" he asked. "You needed a dance partner, I don't dance, Christopher does, there you go. It all works out just great." He began scrubbing the counter with more force as he muttered, "Everything's perfect." Lorelai grabbed the towel from him and threw it on the floor, and Luke scowled at her. "Hey! I was usin' that."

Lorelai grabbed his arm and pulled him around the counter, through the back hallway, and into the storage room. She shut the door, then turned to him. "Luke, talk to me." 

Luke sighed and reached for the doorknob. "Look, I have things to do."

Lorelai leaned against the door so he couldn't open it. "Luke, I'm not leaving here until we talk about this. I'm not gonna be able to concentrate at work knowing that you're here all mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," Luke said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Well, it sure as hell seems like you are," Lorelai snapped. "And you have no right to be since you said yourself that you didn't care if I entered that contest with someone else. Do you not remember saying that?"

"Nothing's wrong with my memory."

"If we had sat down and had a talk where you had come out and said, 'Look, honey, I'd feel better if you didn't enter that contest with anyone else,' and then I went out and found a partner behind your back, then you might have a right to be mad at me," Lorelai said. "But not now – not when you _knew_ that I'd be dancing with someone else!"

"I said I'm _not_ mad at you," Luke repeated sternly.

"Then what the hell is wrong? You were fine all week while I was looking for partners, and then when I finally find one, you suddenly get all jealous and moody," Lorelai said loudly. "It doesn't make sense, Luke!"

Luke groaned with frustration. "Lorelai, have you gotten the hint that I don't feel like getting into this right now?" 

"Well, too bad. Get into it," she demanded. "I need to know why the mood-altering drug kicked in. Is it just because you don't like Chris? What if I told you that. . .I don't know. . . Joe the pizza guy was my partner? Would you still be acting like this?" 

"I don't know!" Luke replied loudly, throwing his hands up in the air. "At least Joe isn't someone you've . . ." His voice trailed off and he pursed his lips. 

"Someone I've _what_?" Lorelai prompted, narrowing her eyes at him. 

Luke shifted his feet and folded his arms across his chest. "Nothing."

Lorelai stared at him for a moment, then closed her eyes and shook her head. "Unbelievable." She opened her eyes. "So, let me get this straight – the unspoken provision to me entering the contest without you was that I'm not allowed to dance with someone I've slept with, is that it? What, 'cause that increases the probability that I might have sex with him right in the middle of the dance floor?"

Luke exhaled loudly. "No, that's _not_ why I'm – "

"What, you think that me dancing with Chris is gonna rekindle something and maybe I'll just forget all about that silly "'til death do us part" stuff?" she asked accusingly.

Luke let out a frustrated sigh. "No. Would you just let me – "

"No, forget it," Lorelai interrupted, holding up her hand. "Glad to see there's a great foundation of trust in this marriage, Luke." She opened the storage room door and stormed down the hallway to the diner. 

Luke followed her. "Lorelai, get back here. We're not done with this."

She ignored him and walked through the diner, leaving her coffee and muffin on the counter, and stormed out the door. Luke glanced around at the customers who were all staring at him and sighed loudly as he walked to the kitchen.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Lorelai walked into the kitchen of the Independence Inn. Sookie stood at the counter, stirring a bowl of pancake batter, and she glanced over at Lorelai and smiled. "Good morning, sweetie." 

Lorelai groaned as she walked over to the coffee maker. "Ugh, what's good about it?"

Sookie's smile faded. "What's wrong?"

Lorelai poured herself a cup of coffee, then walked over to Sookie and sighed. "Luke."

"Uh oh. Trouble in paradise?"

"We had a fight," Lorelai said as she sat down on the stool.

"Aww," Sookie frowned sympathetically. "About what?"

"About the fact that he thinks I'm gonna have an affair with Christopher." 

Sookie's eyes widened. "What? Why would he think that?" 

"I told him that Christopher is my partner for the marathon, and Luke got all jealous and crabby about it, and we just had an argument at the diner," Lorelai explained. She sighed and took a long sip of her coffee.

"Christopher's your dance partner?" Sookie asked. "How'd that happen?"

"Well, I was talking to him last night on the phone and the dance marathon came up, and I mentioned that I still needed to find a partner because Luke doesn't like dancing, and Chris offered. And I told Luke and he got all weird about it and so I got mad at him for not trusting me." Lorelai told Sookie what was said at the diner.

When she was finished, Sookie nodded slowly. "Huh."

Lorelai eyed Sookie's expression curiously. "What?"

Sookie shrugged. "Nothing."

"_What,_ Sookie?" Lorelai asked louder.

"I guess. . .well, I just see his point," Sookie said hesitantly.

"Whose? Luke's point?"

"Yeah."

"What point does he have? He told me I could enter that contest without him," Lorelai reminded her. "So I went out and found a partner, and now he's all jealous that I'm dancing with someone else."

"With _Christopher_," Sookie said.

"Just because it's Chris doesn't give him the right to lose all trust in me."

"He didn't come out and say that he doesn't trust you, did he?"

Lorelai paused a moment. "Well, no, but from the way he was acting all jealous, I just assumed that – "

"Aah!" Sookie interrupted, waving her hand back and forth. "Wrong! You should know by now that assumptions only lead to trouble."

"But why would he be acting this jealous if he _did_ trust me?" Lorelai asked.

"Tsk, honey, you _know _that just because he's jealous does not mean he doesn't trust you," Sookie said. "You were jealous when he went out for coffee with that girl from high school, but you said you trusted him."

"No, but this is a different kind of jealous," Lorelai said. "I can accept a regular kind of jealous, where we both _know_ he's jealous and we tease each other about it. But this one was different, it made him act all weird. I mean, he was all grumpy and trying to avoid me. . .that's not a good, cute 'aw, my husband's jealous' kind of jealous."

"Okay, honey, you need to imagine the situation reversed," Sookie said. "Let's say that Luke was the one who really wanted to win this dance marathon and you didn't want to enter it with him. Would you let him enter it with someone else?"

"Of course I would," Lorelai insisted.

"Okay, now, what if that someone else was. . .Rachel? You'd be completely, one hundred percent fine with him spending 24 hours _touching_ an old girlfriend?" Sookie asked. "You wouldn't feel even the slightest bit jealous?"

"No." Lorelai paused a moment, then wrinkled her nose. "Well. . ."

Sookie smirked and tilted her head. "See? And you trust him, don't you?"

"Completely."

"So just because he implied that he doesn't like the idea of you dancing with Christopher doesn't mean that he doesn't trust you," Sookie said. "Give him a chance to explain."

Lorelai sighed. "Okay, now you're making me feel stupid for how I reacted." 

"I'm just trying to help you realize that Luke's more-than-regular jealousy is understandable," Sookie said. "It's a natural feeling." She wiped her hands on a towel, then squeezed Lorelai's arm. "Honey, you know that he loves you more than anything in this world. You know that he trusts you. It's just weird for him and he doesn't know how to deal with it."

Lorelai sighed loudly. "Yeah, I get it now." She took a sip of coffee, then shook her head slightly. "You know, this would be much easier if Luke would just suck it up and be my stupid dance partner." 

"Yeah, well, I don't see that happening, so you guys better sort it all out."

Lorelai tapped her fingers on the side of her coffee mug. "What should I do? Should I call him? Should I go back to the diner? Should I just wait until I see him tonight?"

"You don't wanna go all day with this fight just hanging in the air, do you?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "No."

"Then go get it all straightened out."

Lorelai hugged her tightly. "Thanks Sookie."

* * *

Lorelai walked into the diner and stayed by the door as she glanced around for Luke. He walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates, and he stopped abruptly when he saw her. "Hey."

"Hi."

"You're back."

"Very observant. Uh, can we. . ." She gestured to the door. "Go somewhere and talk."

"Yeah. Hold on." He delivered the plates he was holding to customers at the counter, then pulled off his apron. He leaned toward the kitchen doorway and called, "Caesar, I'm going out for a few minutes." He walked over to her, and they walked out onto the sidewalk and over to the gazebo. They stopped in front of the bench. Lorelai turned to face him, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. 

Finally, Lorelai stepped forward and hugged him. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me, too," he replied, hugging her back. 

"I'm the one that dragged you to the storage room to talk, and then I didn't even give you a chance to say anything." Lorelai pulled back. "So. . .just tell me what's up. The truth. You're jealous? Is that what this is about?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a little. But it's not because I don't trust you. You know I do."

Lorelai nodded knowingly. "I know. I'm sorry I even said that you didn't."

"It's just . . .it's a little weird since it's. . .you know. . ." Luke circled his hands aimlessly in front of him. "Him. And you guys were so. . ." 

Lorelai nodded. "I know. I get it." She took a deep breath. "Look, I was talking with Sookie, and she asked me how I would feel if you entered the contest with one of your exes."

"And what'd you say?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Well. . .I had to admit, even though I trust you, I know I'd feel weird about it. So. . .you know, I get it now. It's a weird situation for you."

"Yeah, it is."

She grabbed both of his hands and stepped closer to him. "So listen, if this really bugs you and you seriously don't want me to dance with him, I won't. I mean, I still have time to find someone else. Maybe I can bribe Dean or something."

Luke shook his head. "No, it's okay."

"But I'm not gonna feel right dancing with Chris if I know it's bothering you."

"It's not bothering me that much," Luke said. "I can deal with it. Dance with him. It's fine."

Lorelai cocked her head doubtfully. "You sure? Don't say it if you don't mean it."

Luke nodded. "I mean it. I don't know why I was acting like an idiot." 

Lorelai eyed him for a moment, then declared, "Yes, you do. You just don't wanna tell me." She ran her hand over his cheek. "Come on. Break into sharing mode."

"I hate sharing mode," he muttered.

Lorelai pouted. "Please?"

He exhaled and quietly stroked her hair for a few seconds. Finally, he shrugged. "Look, no husband wants to see his wife run to another guy for something, especially an ex. It was like you were saying, 'Christopher has something I need, something you don't have.' And that just made me feel. . .not good enough. And I really hate that feeling." He shook his head toward the ground. "Especially when it comes to you, because. . .I wanna be the one who gives you everything you need." 

Lorelai tilted her head. "Aw, Luke."

Luke waved her off. "It's stupid, I know." 

"It's not stupid," she said, hugging him tightly. She pulled back. "But I didn't run to him. We were just talking and it came up and _he_ offered. I didn't even consider him as a potential partner until he brought it up."

Luke nodded. "I know."

"You do give me everything I need," she told him. "Trust me, the only thing he's got that you don't is a slight interest in dancing. And a Volvo. Both of which I'm fine with you not having."

"Okay, good."

Lorelai nibbled on her bottom lip for a few seconds and placed her hands on his chest. "Are you sure you're okay with me dancing with him?"

Luke nodded. "Fine."

"There's no weirdness?"

Luke arched his eyebrow and shrugged. "Well, I think there'll be a little weirdness no matter who you're dancin' with, ex-boyfriend or not."

Lorelai took a step back and gestured to herself. "Because you don't wanna see another man handling your precious merchandise?" 

Luke smirked. "Partly." He shrugged. "And because it means there's another guy out there giving you something that I can't."

"Aw." Lorelai frowned. "I wish _you_ liked dancing."

"Me, too." He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer.

"Then we wouldn't be arguing over any of this stuff."

"I know."

Lorelai draped her arms over his shoulders and kissed him deeply. She reluctantly pulled back and leaned her forehead against his. "I have to go back to work."

"Yeah, me, too." He laced his fingers through hers and they walked over to the Jeep parked near the diner. 

Lorelai leaned against the side of the car and pulled him into a kiss, then fingered a button on his shirt. "You're not gonna be home 'til late?" she asked, looking up at him with a slight frown.

"Well. . .maybe I can call John and tell him I'll come over another night."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah?"

Luke nodded. "We can get a movie or something." 

"Sounds good." Lorelai cradled his neck and kissed him. "I love you."

"You, too." Luke stepped back and watched as she climbed into the Jeep and drove off.

* * *

That night, Luke was sitting on the couch watching the movie when Lorelai walked in from the kitchen. "I'm back," she announced. "I really wanted corn chips and salsa, but we only have the corn chips, no salsa, so I had to forgo that plan. Then I was looking around the cabinets for something else to eat and I saw a Kit Kat bar, and that reminded me that we still need to buy Halloween candy for next week, so then I started a shopping list. And when I was done with that, I wasn't hungry anymore." She collapsed on the couch next to him. "What'd I miss?" 

"My friends Peace and Quiet stopped by," he replied. "Funny, they always go away when you enter a room."

"Ha, ha." Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him. She watched the movie for a minute, then gestured to the screen and said, "Okay, see, now, all those ghosts of past baseball players came out just because he built that field. So, you think if I go out and build a chicken restaurant, the ghost of Colonel Sanders will come?"

"I don't know. Why don't you go outside and try it right now?" 

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Nice. Nothing says 'I love you' like trying to kick your wife out of the room." 

"Sorry. I'm just. . ." Luke shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. Long day."

Lorelai reached for the remote and turned the movie off. She turned her body to face him and hugged her knees to her chest. "Talk to me. Believe it or not, I'm pretty good at listening."

Luke smiled and rested his hand on her knee. "Sometimes." 

She smiled. "Occasionally. So, talk. . .what happened today?"

He propped his feet up on the coffee table. "I don't know. First, this morning with the argument and everything."

"Nothing like starting off the day with a marital spat," Lorelai commented. 

"Exactly. And then later I saw Taylor out in front of the flower shop with these contractor guys all looking at blueprints and stuff, so I got to thinking about how that whole thing's gonna be one big headache." He rolled his eyes. 

"Aw, yeah. Do you know when they're gonna start the construction work?" 

Luke shrugged. "No idea. Then later Taylor comes into the diner and starts babbling about the stupid town beautification committee wanting to send over some pumpkins to stick in front of the diner."

Lorelai smirked. "And you suggested another place for him to stick those pumpkins, I assume?"

"Yup." Luke groaned. "Oh, and then right as he's leaving, he has the nerve to ask me to set up a coffee stand at the dance marathon." Luke scoffed and shook his head. "Wants me to give free coffee to the dancers to help keep them awake. Do you believe that?"

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Huh. Are you gonna do it?"

"No, I'm not gonna do it. Why the hell would I?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know."

Luke stared at her for a few seconds. "What, you think I should do it?"

Lorelai shrugged again. "I know I wouldn't mind having coffee right there at my disposal while I'm dancing. It's better than having to keep running to the diner during the 10-minute breaks."

"Well, then, I'll just bring some for you. I don't have to waste it all on the whole town." 

"Yeah, I guess."

He stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "You think I should do it."

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, only if you want to. And it's not like you would have to stay the whole time – when you have to go back to the diner, Rory can keep an eye on the coffee distribution process."

Luke exhaled slowly. "I'll think about it."

"Good." She crawled onto his lap and straddled his knees, and stroked his stubbly cheeks with her thumbs. "Anything else happen today?"

"Nah, just some annoying customers."

"The ones who keep sending things back but don't realize that that's the one thing that makes the chef wanna spit in their food?"

"Yup."

"Did you spit?"

"No, but I _wanted_ to."

Lorelai patted him on the head. "Well, I'm proud that you exercised some self-control." She pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. 

As he eagerly returned the kiss, his hand slowly snaked up her shirt and she let out a soft moan as his fingers grazed her bra. She pulled back and muttered, "Unhook it." She kissed across his cheek down toward his shoulder and hungrily sucked on the base of his neck.

Luke reached behind her back and swiftly undid the clasp. A year ago, he would've struggled momentarily, but by now he was an expert at it. The bra loosened around her, and he left one hand to stroke her back while the other immediately resumed its position on her front. 

The phone rang, and Lorelai pulled back from him with a disappointed sigh. "Shoot." 

"I got it, " he told her as he reached for the phone on the end table. 

She stroked his neck where she'd been sucking. "Mm, I started the foundation for a potentially good bruise."

"Yeah, well, I'd like to remain bruise-free, so pick a different spot next time." 

Lorelai obligingly leaned down and began sucking on the other side of his neck. Luke hit the on button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello. . .yeah, she's right here." 

Lorelai pulled back from him. "Is it Rory?"

He rolled his eyes and handed her the phone. "No. It's your dance partner."

"Oh." She took the phone, then climbed off of him and walked toward the kitchen. "Chris?"

Luke sighed. He leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, Lorelai walked back into the living room. "Okay, where were we?" She climbed back onto his lap.

"What'd he want?"

"Oh, he just wanted to know what he should wear in the contest," Lorelai said. "I told him he didn't have to wear a suit if he didn't want to, to just go with something casual but nice looking."

"Uh huh."

"And he wanted to let me know that he's gonna get to town around seven or eight tomorrow night. And I said we'd probably be at my parents' house and for him to just check in at the inn," Lorelai said. "And that Rory and I'll stop by to see him after dinner."

"For what?"

Lorelai shrugged. "To say hi. To let Rory see her dad. To make sure his alarm is set since he has to get up at 5 the next morning."

"Right," he muttered.

Lorelai sighed. "Luke, come on. You said you were fine with this."

"I _am_ fine," he insisted.

"So why the return of the attitude?"

"It didn't return."

"Well, it looks like it's about to return," Lorelai said. 

"It's not."

"Promise?"

"No."

Lorelai smiled and slapped him playfully on the shoulder. He smiled and kissed her gently, then pulled her into a hug. As his strong arms encircled her waist, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He began stroking her back with his fingertips, and she let out a content sigh. "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

She pulled back to look at him. "You know how you said you wanna give me everything I need?"

"Yeah."

She kissed him, then rested her head back against his shoulder. "Well. . .this is all I need."

* * *

Early Saturday morning, Lorelai was checking her hair in the hallway mirror when there was a light knock on the front door. She walked over and answered it, and found a sleepy-looking Christopher leaning against the doorframe. "Hey," she whispered. 

"Hey." He stifled a yawn as he walked inside, and he eyed her outfit. "Nice dress."

Lorelai smiled and glanced down at it. "Yeah. Not bad, huh? Let me just grab my coat." She walked to the living room.

"Everyone else sleeping?" he asked quietly.

As she pulled on her coat, she replied, "Rory is. She's gonna come by a little later. Luke already left to set up his little coffee stand thing."

Christopher nodded. "Right. Are they gonna have food there? I didn't have time to grab anything for breakfast."

"Yeah, they usually have bagels and stuff," Lorelai replied as she turned off the lamp. "Okay, ready?"

Christopher yawned and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."

They walked to the town square, and as they were standing in line for the sign-in table, Sookie and Jackson walked up behind them. "Hey guys," Sookie greeted them.

Lorelai turned around and smiled. "Hey. Oh, you guys look adorable!"

"Thanks." Sookie smiled and glanced down at her dress. "We decided to go all out."

Lorelai gestured to Christopher. "Uh, Sookie, Jackson, you remember Chris."

"Of course we do," Sookie said. "How are you?"

"Good. How are you guys?" Christopher asked. 

"Fine," Sookie replied.

"Starving," Jackson replied. 

"That makes two of us," Christopher said.

"Why don't you guys go scope out the snack table? We'll sign in," Lorelai said.

"You sure?" Christopher asked.

"Yeah. And while you guys are there, you can get right in line for the physicals," Lorelai said. "It'll save us time."

"Okay. We'll meet you over there," Jackson said. He and Christopher walked toward the dance studio as Sookie and Lorelai waited to sign in.

* * * 

Twenty-five minutes later, the four of them were standing near the entrance of the school gym pinning numbers on each other's backs. When they were done, they walked further into the gym and Lorelai scanned the room for Luke. She finally saw him at the coffee table near the bleachers, and she turned to Chris. "Hey, can you hang this up for me?" she asked, holding out her coat. "I'm gonna go say hi to Luke."

"Sure." 

As Taylor's voice began announcing instructions over the loudspeaker, Lorelai walked across the room to Luke and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey."

He turned around. "Hey." He kissed her, then glanced down at her dress. "Looks good."

"Thanks." She gestured to the coffeepot. "Coffee ready yet?"

"Yeah. Hang on." He walked to the other side of the table and retrieved the package of cups. As he pulled one out and filled it with coffee, he asked, "So, where's, uh. . ."

Lorelai gestured over her shoulder. "Oh, he's just hanging up the coats." He handed her the cup and she deeply inhaled the aroma. "Mmm. Thanks."

Luke glanced around the gym. "Getting pretty crowded in here." 

"Well, it's about to start, isn't it? What time is it?"

Luke checked his watch. "5:55."

"Five minutes. Perfect amount of time to finish this up," Lorelai said, taking a sip of the coffee.

"Ten bucks says you'll have it done in one," Luke said.

Christopher walked up behind her. "So I'm guessing whenever I can't find you during one of the breaks, this should be the first place I look, huh?"

Lorelai smiled. "Absolutely."

Christopher extended his hand toward Luke. "Hey Luke."

Luke shook his hand and gave him a slight nod hello. "Chris." He gestured to the pot. "Coffee?"

"Yeah, please," he replied. Luke filled a cup and handed it to him. "Thanks."

"You gonna do that for everybody?" Lorelai asked. "Might be easier to turn it around and let people help themselves."

"Good idea." As he turned the coffee pot around, he asked, "You get those yellow cards I heard Taylor babbling about?"

"Yup." Lorelai patted her chest. "Mine's nice and secure."

"Good. So. . .you're all set then," Luke said.

"Soon as I get caffed up, I will be," she replied, taking another sip of coffee. 

Christopher glanced around at some of the other dancers. "Wow, check out some of these outfits."

"Yeah, people get all dolled up for this thing," Lorelai said. 

"I see that. Don't they know that Halloween's not until next week?" Christopher asked.

Lorelai slapped him on the arm. "Don't mock. They look nice." 

Taylor walked over to them clutching his bullhorn. "Well, would you look at this."

Luke groaned. "Go back to your podium, Taylor."

"What a nice little display," Taylor commented. "You know, I think the dancers are really gonna benefit from this coffee, Luke. You should be proud that you're contributing your services to such a charitable event."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm throbbing with pride." 

Taylor lifted his bullhorn to his mouth and turned toward the dance floor. "Dancers, you have three minutes. For those of you who are having trouble waking up, I'd like to suggest a visit to the table in the corner of the gym for a free cup of coffee." 

Luke saw a group of dancers rushing toward the table. "Geez, Taylor. You think starting a stampede is the best way to kick off the marathon? Do you ever - " 

"Hey, come on." Lorelai grabbed Luke's hand and pulled him a few feet away. 

"They're gonna make a mess," Luke complained.

"So, then, you'll go find the janitor to clean it up," Lorelai said, waving him off. "Don't worry about it." She finished the last sip of her coffee and held her cup out to Luke. "Two minutes. You owe me ten bucks."

Luke took the cup and tossed it into a nearby garbage can. "You stretched it out on purpose."

Lorelai smiled and leaned her face close to his. "So, what, you're not gonna give me payment?"

"Oh, I'll give you payment." Luke slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a kiss. 

Taylor's voice boomed throughout the gymnasium. "Ladies and gentlemen, please prepare to take your positions on the dance floor. We are at two minutes and counting."

Lorelai pulled back. "I have to go."

Luke rolled his eyes toward Taylor at the podium. "He calls for everyone to get coffee, then a second later, he tells them to take their places. Makes a lot of sense. Is he drunk already?"

"Guess he thinks they all drink it down like I do," Lorelai said with a shrug. "I have to go." She kissed him on the cheek. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

"Thanks. Oh, and don't give Kirk any coffee. Maybe he'll get too tired and have to drop out."

"I'll give him decaf," he promised.

"Thank you." She kissed him again. "See you later."

"Bye."

Lorelai walked over to Christopher, and the two of them walked out onto the dance floor to wait for the countdown to begin. 

* * * 

To be continued. . .

Sorry this chapter took so long. I don't know what it was, but I had a lot of trouble writing it, so I'm sorry if it sucks. I tend to focus so much on detailed dialogue that I often end up with chapters that feel like all talk, no action. Sorry, I'll try to work on that in the future. I thought I'd get to the actual dance marathon in this chapter, but I didn't, so that's what the next chapter will mostly be. Speaking of which, I'll be pretty busy this week, so the next chapter _probably_ won't be finished until the middle of next week. And can I just say, thank goodness new episodes are starting up again because I was deep in a painful withdrawal. Thanks for the reviews. :)


	6. Part 6

"It's Still There – part 6"

* * *

At six a.m., the music started, officially kicking off the marathon, and the couples began dancing enthusiastically around the floor. A few minutes passed before Lorelai and Christopher settled into a slower groove, and they smiled at each other. "Fun, huh?" Lorelai asked.

"So far," he replied. "But ask me again in a few hours, I might have a different answer." 

They danced by Kirk and his partner, and Lorelai and Kirk shared a look. "So how heavy is that trophy, Kirk? Think I might need help carrying it home?" Lorelai asked.

Kirk snarled. "The only way you're carrying it home is if you try to steal it from me again. There's no way you're beating me. You might as well drop out now and save yourself some time." He danced away.

Lorelai stuck her tongue out after him, and Christopher commented, "Very mature."

"Thank you."

They were quiet for a moment before he asked, "So, tell me. . .how's married life?"

Lorelai grinned. "It's great. Really great."

"Yeah?"

Lorelai nodded. "No complaints so far." She glanced over toward Luke and sighed contentedly. "You know, you always hope you'll find someone who loves you so much that you can just _feel_ it when they look at you. . .and that's how it is with him." She suddenly glanced toward the floor. "I'm sorry, it's probably weird for you to hear me talk about something like that since. . ."

"Hey, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't wanna hear about it," he replied with a shrug. "But if _you_ feel weird talking about it. . ."

"No, I just didn't want _you_ to feel weird." She paused a moment, then smiled. "And I never would've imagined that being married to someone who doesn't drink coffee would ever work out, but. . .it's been amazing."

Christopher was surprised. "He doesn't drink coffee?"

"Nope."  


"And yet he puts up with your constant coffee breath?" 

Lorelai smiled. "When you're as good a kisser as I am, people accept the coffee breath."

"You always did have that natural talent," Christopher commented with a smirk.

"Thank you. You weren't so bad yourself."

"Thanks."

She patted him on the chest. "Your turn. Tell me. . .how's the shacking-up life?" 

He nodded affirmatively. "It's pretty good."

"How's Sherry feel about you coming down here to do this thing? She's cool with it?"

Christopher tilted his head. "Well. . ."

Lorelai grimaced slightly. "Uh oh. She's not?"

"No, she's okay now, but she didn't exactly go along with the idea at first. You know, since we sort of have a history, me and you."

Lorelai nodded understandably. "Yes, we do."

"Yeah. But then I reminded her that you're kind of off the dating market. . .you know, that whole 'being married' thing, and that made her feel a little better about the idea."

Lorelai nodded. "Good."

"Yeah. But then I made the mistake of mentioning that you and Luke are swingers, and that started up all the worries again. But I assured her that no matter how much you and Luke tried to seduce me, I would say no." 

Lorelai smiled and slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Stop."

Christopher smiled. "So now she's okay with it."

"Good."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were still talking about Sherry and Luke when Sookie and Jackson danced up to them. "Hey guys," Sookie greeted them.

"Hey. How's it going so far?" Lorelai asked.

"So far, so good," Sookie replied. "Did you see the Andrew fight?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "We purposely tried to stay near him so we would be have a good view when it happened."

"Smart thinking," Sookie said.

"Aw, but Rory missed it." Lorelai turned to Chris. "We'll have to reenact it for her when she gets here."

"Sounds good."

Sookie smiled. "Okay, we're gonna go mingle around."

Lorelai smiled. "See ya later." As Sookie and Jackson danced away, Lorelai asked Christopher, "Okay, so where were we?" 

Christopher thought for a second. "Uh, something about him holding your head."

"Oh, that's right. Okay, now, cradle my head in your hands like you're about to kiss me really passionately," Lorelai instructed. "Be careful not to lose contact though."

Christopher slid his hands up to Lorelai's head. "Okay."

Lorelai closed her eyes for a moment, letting herself get used to the feeling. She opened them and nodded approvingly. "Not bad. But, see, the way Luke does it is like this." She adjusted his hands on the back of her head. "Okay, now just move your fingers back and forth really slowly like you're massaging my head." Christopher obliged, and Lorelai smiled. "See. . .you got it. Girls love that."

"Okay, I feel really stupid dancing with my hands on your head." He brought his hands down to her waist. 

"Oh, that's the perfect hand placement for the waist-pull. . .something else that Luke's really good at," Lorelai said. 

"The waist-pull?" Christopher tightened his grasp on her waist and pulled her up against his body. "You mean that?"

Lorelai smiled and pulled back from him. "Exactly. See, it's a commonly used motion, but some men can't do it very smoothly."

"How was mine?"

Lorelai nodded affirmatively. "Pretty good." She glanced across the gym and saw Rory walking toward the bleachers. "Ooh, daughter alert. Let's go." They danced their way over to Rory. 

"Hey," Rory greeted them. She kissed both of them on the cheek. "How's it going? I saw Andrew outside, so I guess. . ."  


"Yup, you missed it," Lorelai confirmed.

Rory frowned. "Aw, too bad."

"We're gonna reenact it for you later," Christopher assured her.

"I'd appreciate that." Rory held up the book she'd brought with her. "I'm gonna go read. Let me know if you're gonna do some flips or something so I can look up."

"You got it," Lorelai said. 

Rory walked over and sat down on the bleachers, and Lorelai and Christopher danced back over toward the center of the dance floor.

* * *

When the first ten-minute break was announced, Christopher pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I'm gonna go outside and call Sherry. I told her I'd check in."

"Okay." Lorelai gestured toward the bleachers. "I'll be near Luke, Rory, the coffee. . .somewhere in that general area."

"Okay." Christopher started walking toward the door. Lorelai rushed over to the coffee table, where a line had already formed. She sighed and folded her arms across her chest as she waited impatiently at the end of it. 

Luke walked out from behind the table and over to her with a cup of coffee. "Here. Poured this for you before the rush came."

Lorelai gasped. "Ah, I love you." She took the coffee cup and kissed him before she took a long sip. "Mmm."

"Come on, let's sit." Luke took her elbow and led her over to the bleachers where Rory was reading. 

"Hey," Lorelai said as she sat down next to her.

Rory looked up and smiled. "Hey." She put her bookmark in the book and set it aside. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good so far," Lorelai said. 

Luke sat down next to her. "What are you guys talking about out there? Your mouth hasn't stopped moving all morning."

Lorelai smiled and nudged him. "You been watching me the whole time?"

Luke shrugged. "My eyes drift over to you occasionally. . ."

Lorelai smirked. "Uh huh." She shrugged and took another sip of coffee. "We've just been talking about. . .stuff. Life. I was talking about you. He was talking about Sherry. Just general stuff."

"Me?" Rory asked.

"Of course," Lorelai replied. "We were talking about you and school and college applications and everything."

"Where's Dad?" Rory asked. "Getting something to eat?"

"Uh, he went outside to call Sherry," Lorelai said, gesturing toward the door. "He'll be right back."

"Are you hungry?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, a little bit. I have to go to the bathroom, too. How much time do I have?"

"Uh, like eight minutes," Luke replied after a quick glance at his watch.

Rory stood up. "You go to the bathroom. I'll go get something for you from the snack table."

Lorelai smiled and squeezed Rory's arm. "Thanks, hon." She stood up and extended her hand toward Luke. "Come walk with me."

As they walked out of the gym, Lorelai finished up her coffee and tossed the cup into a garbage can. They headed toward the bathroom, where a line had already formed outside the door. "Shoot. What, is there a sale in the bathroom I don't know about?"  


"You're not the only dancer who has to go, you know." Luke pulled her in the other direction. "Let's try the upstairs one." They walked toward the staircase and headed up to the darkened second floor. 

Lorelai patted him on the shoulder. "Ooh, good idea. No one's up here."

"Just hope that it's unlocked," he said as they approached the bathroom door. 

They stopped in front of it, and Lorelai reached for the door handle. She pulled on it slowly, expecting it to resist her, but the door opened and she smiled. "Yay. Be right back." She walked inside. 

Luke shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall of lockers as he waited for her. A minute later, she walked back out shaking water off of her hands. "No paper towels. See, this is why Rory goes to Chilton – because they stock the paper towels _regularly_."

"I'm sure they didn't expect people to be up here, so they probably only stocked the downstairs bathrooms." 

She moved closer to him. "Well, they should have anticipated that there would be some people who, in an attempt to avoid bathroom lines, would sneak up here and utilize these facilities." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't you think?"

"Sure." He pressed his lips against hers and they kissed passionately until Luke heard a low rumbling sound. He pulled back and narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"

Lorelai giggled and put a hand on her stomach. "I guess I'm hungrier than I thought." She kissed him again. "Let's go see if Rory's back yet." They started walking toward the staircase. 

They entered the gym and found Rory and Dean sitting on the bleachers. "I see you picked _yourself_ up a little something from the snack table," Lorelai said, gesturing to Dean. "Hey Dean. Come to spectate?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, thought I'd come see what this thing's all about."

"It's about insane people who have nothing better to do on a Saturday than to dance around like idiots for the chance to take home a stupid trophy that's the size of a chair," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

Lorelai frowned toward him. "Be nice."

Rory held a donut out toward Lorelai. "Here. I had to fight some lady for the last chocolate one."

Lorelai gasped. "Oh, you're the best daughter ever." She took the donut and bit into it. "Mm. Good stuff." She glanced toward the coffee table. "Oh, good, the line's gone. I need more coffee." 

She started walking toward the table, and Luke followed behind her. "I think I'm gonna head to the diner."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, already?"

"Yeah. I have some shipments to put away in back, inventory to go over. Gotta get that stuff done."

Lorelai gestured to the table in front of her. "What about the coffee?"

"I'll stop by later to check on it, see if it needs refilling," Luke said.

"Well, try to make it back for the breaks, okay?" Lorelai asked. "It's the only time I'll get to talk to you." 

He glanced down at his watch. "Every two hours, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup."

"Okay, I'll try to get back here." 

"Good." She kissed him. "Bye."

"See ya." As Luke walked toward the door, Lorelai poured herself a cup of coffee and walked back over to the bleachers. 

* * *

As soon as the break that accompanied the 6-hour mark started, Jackson and Christopher went to get some sandwiches as Lorelai and Sookie collapsed exhaustedly on the bleachers. Rory had left to go eat lunch at the diner with Dean and Lane, and Lorelai kept glancing toward the doorway waiting for Luke. "Where is he?" Lorelai asked Sookie. 

"The break just started, give him a second," Sookie said. "Plus, it's lunch time. Diner's probably picking up a little and maybe he lost track of time."

Lorelai frowned. "Yeah, maybe."

"I'm sure he'll see people starting to leave the school and he'll realize that it must be break time and he'll come see you."

"I hope so." 

Sookie noticed a magazine a few feet down the bleacher row. "Do you know whose that is?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Probably one of the spectators."

"I'm sure they won't mind if I just. . ." Sookie reached over and grabbed the magazine. "Ooh, Redbook. Haven't read that in awhile." 

As Sookie started flipping through the pages, Lorelai continued watching the door for Luke. "Do you think I should go to the diner?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll be here." Sookie turned a few pages of the magazine. One of the headings caught her eye and she briefly skimmed through the short article that followed it. "Uh, Lorelai?"

"What?"

"There's something here you might wanna take a look at," Sookie said. She passed the magazine over to Lorelai.

Lorelai glanced down at it. "Where am I reading?"

"Right here," Sookie said, pointing to it.

Lorelai read the first sentence aloud. "A National Institutes of Health study found that taking in more than moderate amounts of caffeine can. . ." Lorelai's eyes widened and she looked at Sookie. ". . .lower a woman's likelihood of conceiving." Her mouth dropped open. "Uh oh."

Sookie nodded. "And I'm thinking that your consumption falls into the 'more than moderate' category."

Lorelai brought her gaze back to the article and read the rest of it to herself. When she finished, she turned to Sookie. "Aha! It goes on to say that some researchers still aren't convinced that there's a connection between caffeine and fertility." She paused and wrinkled her nose. "But it still says that if you've been trying to get pregnant and haven't had any luck, it wouldn't hurt to lower your caffeine intake and see if that helps." 

"It wouldn't hurt," Sookie agreed.

Lorelai sighed. "I've already cut down on the booze, now I have to stop drinking coffee?" 

"And you should limit your chocolate. There's caffeine in that, too."

Lorelai gasped. "Oh my God! Next thing you know, they'll be telling me I have to try to kick the crack addiction."

"Well, you're supposed to cut out caffeine when you're pregnant anyway, so this'll be preparing you for that," Sookie said, trying to sound encouraging. She took the magazine from Lorelai and read over the article. "See, it says that most of the researchers who do think that there's a connection between caffeine and fertility agree that one to two cups of coffee per day probably won't hurt anything. You don't have to cut it out completely."

"Yeah, one to two cups _per day,_" Lorelai repeated. "I usually have one to two cups _per hour_."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating. It's no big deal. You can have 2 cups of regular a day, and then for the rest, just have decaf. It won't kill you." Lorelai stared at her with disbelief, and Sookie grimaced. "Okay, maybe it will." She closed the magazine and put it back where she'd found it.

Lorelai sighed loudly, then shook her head toward the ground. "One to two cups per day. I've had. . ." She thought for a moment. "What, like eight cups today already? I've had four days worth of coffee, and it's only noon." She covered her face with her hands and groaned softly. "Man."

"Sorry I'm late," a voice said. 

Lorelai let out a surprised gasp and looked up to see Luke standing next to her. "Oh, hey." 

He narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Lorelai shook her head and stood up. "Nothing. Uh, you just scared me, that's all." She turned to Sookie. "We'll be right back." She took Luke's hand and led him across the gym toward the hallway. They walked down it quickly, and the noise dissipated as they got further from the chaotic gymnasium. They turned the corner at the end of the hall and walked a few feet before they both stopped. 

Taking advantage of their privacy, Luke pressed Lorelai up against the wall as he kissed her deeply. As he pulled back, he smiled and stroked her cheeks. "How're things going?" 

Lorelai shook her head. "Not good, because apparently I'm way above the moderate level." She shook her head again and began speaking quickly. "And I can't be way above the moderate level, Luke. I have to be at a modest level. _Modest._ Well, according to some people. . .other people aren't so sure." She scoffed. "You know, people shouldn't write about things like this unless they're sure, or else it just gets people all worried about whether or not they're at a moderate level when they should be at a modest level." Lorelai scoffed again, then was quiet as she caught her breath. Luke didn't say anything, and she stared at him questioningly. "Aren't you gonna ask what I'm talking about?" 

"I'm not so sure I wanna know," was his hesitant response.

"Oh, trust me, you wanna know." Lorelai quickly explained to him about the article she'd just read. 

When she was finished, Luke asked, "So, what. . .you're gonna cut back on the caffeine?"

Lorelai sighed and shrugged. "I'm gonna try, but I seriously don't know if I'll be able to do it."

"Sure you can."

Lorelai was surprised by his casual attitude. "Why do you say that so confidently? This is like asking someone to quit smoking, except without giving them all the helpful patches and self-help tapes and special gum. I know saying 'Hey, just drink less coffee' sounds like it's an easy task, but it's probably gonna be hard. Really hard."

Luke rolled his eyes. "No, it won't. Trust me." He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. "Listen, you cutting back on the caffeine. . .that's one way to help. . .you know. . ." He nodded down toward her stomach. 

"Knock me up?" Lorelai suggested. Luke nodded, and she shrugged. "Maybe. Possibly. I don't know, nobody knows for sure."

"Well, we know it can't hurt, right?"

"Right."

"Okay, so, you cut back to two cups of regular a day. No big deal."

Lorelai sighed. "But – "

Luke put his finger to her lips. "Sh, wait. You cut back, and then when you get the craving for more, you just need to stop and think about _why_ you're cutting back in the first place. You need to think about what you want more, the coffee or . . ." His voice trailed off.

"The baby," she finished with a sigh.

"Yeah." He took her hands into his and squeezed them. "Trust me, it ain't gonna be as hard as you think. And hey. . .if solidarity'll help ya, I'll give up coffee, too." 

Lorelai smirked. "Oh, thank you. Very supportive." She hugged him tightly. "How is it that you can always make me feel better?"

"It's my job."

"You deserve a promotion." Lorelai pulled back and exhaled. "I can do this. This'll be easy. Simple. No problem." She paused and a look of uncertainty washed over her face. "Right?"

Luke nodded. "Yup."

"Okay, good." Lorelai hugged him again. "No more coffee today."

"Uh, you're gonna start today when you have to be up for 24-hours straight?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "All right, maybe just a little bit more today." She pulled back and lifted his wrist to check his watch, and her eyes widened. "Crap, we only have a minute left. Come on." She took his hand and led him quickly back to the gym. 

* * *

It was nearing the 10-hour mark, and Lorelai and Christopher were dancing very slowly. Christopher glanced past her and saw Luke walk into the gym. "Ah, a break must be coming up. Luke just walked in."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "He did?" She turned and saw him walking toward the bleachers, and when he looked over, she waved. He smiled and nodded toward her, and she grinned. She brought her gaze back to Christopher and noticed him smiling at her. "What?" 

He shook his head. "Nothing."

Lorelai nudged his chest. "Chris, what?"

Christopher glanced toward Luke, who was now sitting on the bleachers next to Rory, then he shrugged toward Lorelai. "It's just. . . well, it sounds cheesy to say, but your eyes always light up when you see him." He smiled. "Or talk about him."

Lorelai smiled and glanced shyly toward the ground. "Stop."

"No, I think it's great."

Lorelai smiled and shrugged. "Well, I'm no marriage expert, but I bet it's a good sign if you get happy just thinking about your spouse."

Christopher nodded. "Yeah, definitely a good sign."

Lorelai glanced over toward Luke and smiled to herself. "He's just so. . ."

Christopher smirked. "I know. . .great, wonderful, perfect, all those related adjectives."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "I've totally talked your ear off about him today, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I've talked your ear off, too. Talking's the only way to keep sane out here among. . ." He paused as he watched Kirk flip and twirl his partner, then he shook his head slightly. "Uh, among the people who take this thing _way_ too seriously. Tell me again why you'll never leave this town?"

Lorelai smiled. "Because I love it. It's weird, it's fun, it's great. . .it's Stars Hollow. That's just how it is."

A horn sounded and Taylor's voice announced, "Ten minute break everyone. Ten minute break."

Lorelai and Christopher separated, and she asked, "Where you headed?"

"Um, I'm gonna go call Sherry on my way to the snack table, grab a sandwich and a soda, then head back in here. Can I get you something?"

"No, thanks, I'm good. I'm gonna hit the bathroom, then I'll meet you on the bleachers."

"Okay." Christopher started walking toward the exit.

Lorelai walked over to the bleachers where Luke and Rory were waiting for her. "Hey." 

"Hey," Luke said.

"How do you feel?" Rory asked.

"Like I've been dancing for ten hours," Lorelai replied. "And like someone's poking my bladder with a long pole."

Rory made a face. "Okay, ew."

"Sorry. Bathroom run, I'll be right back." She started walking toward the hallway. 

Luke shoved his hands into his pockets and stared after her, considering whether he should act on his urge to follow her. He glanced at Rory and gestured toward the doorway. "I'm just gonna. . ."

Rory smiled and waved him off. "Go."

Luke walked to the hallway and glanced toward the bathrooms. Not seeing her at the end of the newly-formed line, he assumed she'd went upstairs. He walked up there and waited outside the bathroom door for her. 

She walked out a minute later, shaking the water off of her hands, and she smiled when she saw him. "Hey. Started to go through Lorelai withdrawal, huh?"

"Well, you do have that effect on people."

She walked over and hugged him, then kissed him deeply. After only a few moments, they heard voices, and they both glanced toward the staircase. A few women were walking toward them, and after they nodded hello, they disappeared into the ladies' room. 

Lorelai gasped. "Other people found out about the secret bathroom!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "It's not a secret when there's a sign at the bottom of the steps that says 'Restrooms' with an arrow pointing up."

Lorelai pouted. "Yeah, well, that sign should only be followed during school hours. Dancers are supposed to use the bathroom downstairs."

"Except for you, obviously," he deduced.

"Exactly. Plus, they're interrupting our make-out time. Come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall to an empty classroom, and they walked inside and shut the door behind them. "Ah. Nice and dark and secluded." She led him over to the teacher's desk at the front of the room. She sat atop of it, then pulled him up against her, locking her legs around his thighs to hold him close. She smiled. "Hi."

"Hey." He slipped his hands under her dress and rested them on her thighs. "How's it going?"

She glanced down at his hands, then smiled at him. "Better now." He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, and she suddenly pulled back. "You know, maybe this wasn't the best idea. . .you're gonna end up getting me all hot and bothered, and then I'll have to go and be close with another man for two hours."

"You're the one who dragged me in here," he reminded her. "This was your idea."

"Yes, but I didn't put your hands a mere three inches away from my underwear." She leaned closer to him and added, "The ones that say "Yummy" on the front in silver glitter." He smirked, and Lorelai smiled. "Your favorite." His hands inched further up her thighs as he pressed his lips against hers, beginning a stretch of continuous kissing that lasted several minutes. 

When they finally separated, Lorelai closed her eyes as she panted to catch her breath. "Okay, you have three seconds to remove your hands from my body before I am forced to go resign from the contest and drag you home to the bedroom." She opened her eyes and shook her head. "No, I don't even think we'll get that far – we may be forced to do it right in the middle of the street."

"Well, for the sake of preventing concrete scrapes on my back. . ." Luke removed his hands from her thighs.

"Thank you," she said. "But who says you'd get to be on the bottom?"

"Just basic etiquette," Luke replied with a shrug. "Don't want _your_ back getting all scraped up."

"Ah, so you figured that if we were ever forced to do it in the middle of the street without a blanket, you'd save me from physical pain by letting me be on top?"

"Yup."

"See, that's why I love you," she said, followed by a long yawn. "My God, I'm so unbelievably tired." She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. 

He held her silently for almost a minute, then said, "We should get back down there."

Lorelai sighed and lifted her head. "Can you carry me?"

"You can't walk down a flight of stairs, but you're gonna dance for fourteen more hours?"

Lorelai nodded sleepily. "Yes."

Luke stepped back from her. "Come on, walk. It'll help you wake up." She reluctantly got down from the desk, and the two of them walked back down to the gym.

* * *

It was nearing the 14-hour mark. Lorelai's eyes were closed, her head resting on Christopher's shoulder as they swayed very slowly. 

Christopher yawned. "Okay, remind me why I offered to enter this with you." 

"I have no idea," she muttered.

"My feet feel like they're about to fall off."

"Mine, too."

"Then why do you do this every year?"

Lorelai lifted her head and scoffed. "Didn't you see the trophy?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'd rather have both of my feet than that stupid trophy."

"Which is why, when we win it, it stays at my house." She rested her head back against his shoulder and sighed. "I don't remember ever being this tired so early in the contest before. It must be your fault."

"How so?"

"Because I've never danced with someone who I felt comfortable enough with to drape myself all over them like this." She paused to yawn, then continued, "And so I had to fight the sleepiness better and so I never really noticed how tired I was. But this year it's you and I'm hanging all over you and I'm not bothering to ignore the tiredness."

"Sorry. Would you feel better if I didn't let you hang all over me?"

"No, then I'd be mad at you," she muttered, tightening the arm hold she had around his neck. "Please don't make me let go."

He forced a cough. "Okay, okay, I won't, but watch the choking."

Lorelai loosened up some. "Sorry." She let out a long yawn, then closed her eyes as she muttered, "Goodnight."

* * *

Lorelai's eyes opened slowly and for a few seconds, she had no idea where she was. She squinted up into at the newfound brightness, then glanced around and realized she was lying on the bleachers, looking up at the ceiling of the gymnasium. 

"Hey." Luke's voice startled her and she jumped slightly. 

"Hey Mom," Rory said softly.

She craned her neck and saw Luke and Rory sitting on the bleacher row behind her. Lorelai rubbed her eyes and muttered, "What time is it?" 

"A little after eleven," Luke replied.

Lorelai's eyes widened and she suddenly sat up. "Wait, why am I not dancing? Where's Chris?" 

Rory pointed down the bleachers, where a few feet away, Christopher was lying down, asleep. "Right there."  


"Are we in a break?" Lorelai asked. She glanced at the dance floor, where several couples were dancing. "Why are they dancing?"

"You don't remember?" Luke asked. 

Lorelai shook her head. "No."

Luke and Rory glanced at each other, then Rory turned to Lorelai. "You're out."

Lorelai gasped. "What? How?"

Rory took a deep breath. "Well. . . you and Dad were both practically asleep, barely moving at all on the dance floor, and then the run around started and. . ." Her voice trailed off.

"What? What happened?" Lorelai asked anxiously.

"Well, you guys just stood there," Luke said. "We yelled for you to run, but you were both way too tired." 

"Then the horn sounded and you were eliminated," Rory said. "One of the other couples walked by and woke you guys up to tell you that you were out. So then Dad stumbled over to the bleachers to lie down, but you wouldn't go with him because you kept saying that it was a practice run around and that it didn't count. And then you lay down in the middle of the dance floor and Taylor kept telling you that you'd have to be off the floor by the time the break was over, so you started yelling at him. He was about to call security when Luke ran out and carried you off the floor."

Lorelai covered her face with her hands. "Oh my God."

"And you and Dad have both been sleeping since then," Rory finished.

"You don't remember _any_ of it?" Luke asked.

Lorelai gave a half-shrug. "Vaguely. I kind of remember yelling at Taylor, but I thought it was a dream." 

"It wasn't," Rory said. "You're banned from the market for a week for telling him that he looks like a deformed bobble head doll when he talks."

Luke smirked. "Which was actually pretty funny at the time."

Lorelai groaned and lay back down against the bleachers. "I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up when everyone forgets that I'm a complete loser."

"That may be awhile," Kirk said from the dance floor. He'd been dancing a few feet away from them and had been listening to the conversation.

Lorelai sat back up and scowled at him. "Get away from me, Kirk."

"You should've just dropped out hours ago like I told you to," Kirk continued. "Could've saved yourself a lot of embarrassment."

Luke stood up. "Kirk, I swear to God. . ." He pursed his lips and took a step toward Kirk, who quickly danced away with his partner. Luke sat back down and rubbed Lorelai's arm. "Let's go home and get you in bed."

"But what about Chris?" she asked, gesturing to him.

"Wake him up and we'll drop him off at the inn on the way home," Luke said. "I'll go bring the truck around."

"And I'll get the coats and meet you out front," Rory said.

The three of them stood up. Luke and Rory both walked away as Lorelai hobbled over to Christopher, grimacing at the pain she felt in her feet. She sat down on the bleachers next to him. It took a minute to wake him up, but he finally groaned and opened his eyes. 

"Hey," Lorelai said quietly.

He slowly sat up. "Hey. We're still out, right?" Lorelai nodded. "Good, 'cause I can't dance anymore. I don't even think I can walk."

"Well, try to, 'cause we have to walk out to the car. We're gonna take you back to the inn," Lorelai explained. "I'm sure the bed there's a bit more comfortable to sleep on than the bleachers."

Christopher nodded and stood up, and they started slowly walking toward the door. "Chris, thank you so much for doing this for me," Lorelai said sincerely. "I really appreciate it."  


"No problem. It was fun. Well, for a little while, anyway."

"So if I need a partner again next year. . ."

"Don't even think about it."

Lorelai smiled. "That's what I thought." 

They continued walking toward the door, and just as they reached it, Rory rushed through it with a panicked look on her face. "Mom!"

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Whoa, honey, calm down. What's wrong?"

"Come outside, quick!" Rory grabbed Lorelai's hand and started pulling her out the door.

* * *

To be continued. . . 

Thanks for the feedback. I probably won't be able to write much this week so there may not be an update for at least 2 weeks. Sorry, please don't hate me. :)


	7. Part 7

"It's Still There – part 7"

* * *

Rory pulled Lorelai down the short hallway toward the door that led outside. "Come on, hurry up," Rory urged.

Christopher followed them, jogging to keep up with their fast pace. "What's going on?"

"I went to get the coats and then I walked outside and . . .that's when I saw it. And so I ran back inside to get you. . ." Rory swallowed hard as she pushed open the outside doors.

"Saw what? Honey, what's – " Lorelai's voice trailed off as she stepped out the door and onto the front steps of the school. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the crowd that had formed at the intersection in front of the diner. It only took a second to see that they were gathered around a car accident. 

And it only took half a second more to realize that Luke's Explorer was one of the vehicles. The other was a white van that had slammed into the passenger side of the truck.

Lorelai's breath caught in her throat as she began to tremble, and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God." Next to her, Christopher pulled out his cell phone and called for help. 

Lorelai's body went numb as she stared at the scene. The worst case scenario entered her mind, but she quickly tried to push the thought away. She convinced herself that the crash wasn't severe enough to be fatal, despite the fact that she wasn't close enough to have a good opinion about it. 

When she finally snapped out of the shock, she rushed down the school steps toward the cars. Muttering Luke's name, she pushed her way through the crowd and over to the driver's side of his truck. 

She stopped near the hood to check on Luke through the windshield, and she let out a sigh of relief when she realized that he was conscious. But he lay slumped against the seat clutching his left shoulder, and blood trickled from a small gash on the side of his head. The site of him so weak and helpless was overwhelming, and the tears that Lorelai had tried to hold back started to run down her cheeks. 

A man from the crowd had opened the driver's door to check on Luke. "What about your legs?" the man was asking him.

"They seem okay," Luke muttered. 

"Okay, just stay put and wait for medical assistance," the man said. "I hear 'em coming."

Lorelai could hear the faint sound of sirens in the background as she stepped forward. "Luke," she choked out through her tears.

Luke looked up and the sight of her made his pain momentarily diminish. "Lorelai." The man stepped back, gesturing for her to step closer to Luke.

She did, and she grabbed Luke's hand. "Are you okay? What happened?" 

"Stupid guy rammed into me," he mumbled. As he tried to sit up straight, he grimaced and rubbed his shoulder. "Ow, dammit. I slammed into the door pretty hard."

Lorelai winced with sympathy pain and she stroked his hand. "You might hurt something even worse by moving. Just wait 'til the ambulance gets here."

He sighed and clenched his eyes shut. "God, my head is killin' me."

Lorelai gasped and squeezed his hand. "Agh, don't close your eyes, Luke! You might not wake up!"

Luke opened them back up and he had a faint touch of a smile. "Oh, you'd make a good paramedic," he muttered. "Accident victims loved to get yelled at right in the middle of a near-trauma."

"I'm sorry, I just. . ." Lorelai sniffled and wiped her eyes. "You know, I'm just. . ." She swallowed hard as more tears ran down her cheeks.

"It's okay." Luke glanced toward the passenger side and sighed at the damage. "Damn truck's only a few months old."

"Forget about the truck. Just worry about you." 

"I'm fine, I'm just a little. . ." He grimaced again and rubbed his shoulder. "My shoulder's just. . .ow, geez."

Loud sirens and flashing lights announced the arrival of two ambulances at the scene. "Help's here." Lorelai leaned down to kiss him. "I'll be nearby."

Luke nodded, and Lorelai took a few steps back from the truck as the paramedics walked over. 

Rory and Christopher separated from the crowd and walked over to her, and Rory rubbed Lorelai's back comfortingly. "Mom, he looks like he's gonna be okay." Lorelai sniffled and nodded as she pulled Rory into a hug and squeezed her tightly. 

"Yeah, Lor, he's tough," Christopher added. "It probably looks worse than it is."

Lorelai nodded, and the three of them watched the paramedics help Luke out of the truck.

* * *

Lorelai rode to the hospital in the ambulance with Luke. Despite her protests that they should go home and get some sleep, Rory and Christopher picked up the Jeep and met her at the emergency room. 

The three of them sat in the waiting area while Luke was being examined. Lorelai was tapping her feet and biting nervously on her nails, Christopher was asleep in his chair, and Rory busied herself by reading a pamphlet about the harmful effects of smoking.

Lorelai sighed loudly. "What's taking so long?"

"They're checking him over," Rory reminded her. "Don't you want them to be thorough?"

"Yes, but why can't they be thorough and still do it fast?"

"Because you can't have it both ways."

"Well, why won't they let me in there to watch them be thorough? I'm his _wife_." Lorelai stood up and gestured toward the nurse's station. "I'm just gonna go ask the nurse if – "

"No!" Rory jumped up and grabbed Lorelai's arm. "You've already annoyed the nurses enough tonight."

Lorelai scoffed. "I have not!"

"Oh no? What about your big tantrum when one told you that you couldn't go into the X-ray room with him?" 

Lorelai frowned and muttered, "It wasn't a tantrum. It was just a slight freak-out."

"And what about when you asked if he'd have to stay overnight and the nurse said she didn't know, and you told her that the actresses on ER probably knew more about nursing than she did?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Well. . ."

"It's probably not in Luke's best interest if you alienate all the people who are supposed to help take care of him," Rory pointed out. "Now come on, let's sit."

As they both sat back down, Lorelai sighed. "I'm just so tired of waiting. Of not knowing anything. Of wondering what's going on."

"I know." Rory put her arm around Lorelai. "But they'll tell us in a little while."

Lorelai pouted and leaned her head against Rory's shoulder. "He hates hospitals. He needs to see a familiar face."

"He will soon enough," Rory assured her. "Don't worry."

* * *

A short while later, Luke was transferred up to an overnight room. Lorelai and Rory stood next to the bed while the doctor explained everything that was going on. Lorelai was preoccupied with staring at Luke but she caught most of the important words, like _dislocated shoulder_, _concussion_, and _overnight_ _for_ _observation_. 

When the doctor left, the three of them talked for a few minutes, but Luke was having trouble keeping his eyes open. 

"We should probably let you get to sleep," Lorelai finally said. 

Rory nodded in agreement. "The doctor said you need lots of rest." She leaned over Luke, careful not to bump his left arm that was now in a sling, and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad you're okay."

Luke rubbed her arm. "Thanks."

"I'll come back tomorrow." Rory stepped back and turned to Lorelai. "Ready?"

Lorelai nodded. "Uh, yeah...I'm just...can you give me a minute alone with Luke?"

"Sure. I'll be in the waiting area with Dad," Rory said.

"Thanks."

Rory left the room, and Lorelai perched herself on the edge of Luke's bed. She frowned as she gently ran her fingers over the bandage on the side of his head. He flinched slightly, and she quickly pulled her hand back. "Luke...I'm so sorry."

Luke waved her off, then ran his fingers over the bandage. "Forget it, it didn't hurt that much."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I mean. . .about all of this." She glanced down toward the floor. "It's all my fault."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "How is it _your_ fault? You hire that guy to ram into me?"

Lorelai sighed and brought her gaze back to him. "No, but if I hadn't entered that stupid contest in the first place, none of this would've happened. We both would've been at home, sleeping safe and sound, and you wouldn't be. . ." Her voice trailed off as she gestured to him. "Like this."

Luke half-rolled his eyes. "Knock it off. You know it's not your fault."

Lorelai swallowed hard and felt tears forming in her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that night. "I just hate seeing you like this."

"Well, it ain't my preferred scenario either, but. . .nothing I can do about it now." He yawned and shifted his body to get more comfortable. "This bed stinks."

Lorelai stood up. "You should get some sleep. I'll be back in the morning." 

"Okay."

"And what about the diner? You need me to call Caesar and ask him to open up?"

"Well, he opens up on the weekends anyway," Luke reminded her. "I'll just call him tomorrow and tell him what's going on."

"Okay." Lorelai cautiously leaned over and kissed him. She pulled back slightly and stared at him, reluctant to leave his side. As his eyes started to close, she ran her finger over his bottom lip and whispered, "I love you."

"Love you," he muttered sleepily. 

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai walked out of the house carrying her purse and a duffel bag, and as she headed toward the Jeep, Babette hurried out of her house. "Lorelai, sugar! Wait a minute!"

"Hey Babette." Lorelai tossed her things into the Jeep, then started walking toward Babette.

They met in the middle of the yard, and Babette hugged her tightly. "Oh, doll, I heard what happened. How is he?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Well, thankfully, he's not too bad. He dislocated his shoulder and he has a concussion, and he has a couple scrapes and bruises." 

Babette shook her head sympathetically. "Aw, that poor baby. And he's still at the hospital?"

"Yeah, they just wanted to monitor him for a little while. He should be home in a few hours." 

"Patty said she saw his truck being towed to Hewes Brothers late last night, all smashed on the one side," Babette said. "Poor thing, seemed like it was brand new."

Lorelai nodded. "It practically was. Luckily, the car suffered more damage than Luke did." She gestured toward the Jeep. "Well, I gotta get going. I'm heading to the hospital to see him."

"Oh, all right, doll, I'll let you go," Babette said, pulling her into a hug. "Give him our love. And you call if you need anything."

Lorelai smiled gratefully as she pulled back. "I will, thanks." She walked over to the Jeep, climbed in and pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

At the hospital, Lorelai walked up to Luke's room and slowly pushed open the door. She peeked in to see if he was awake, and she saw him sitting up in the bed. She smiled and walked into the room. "Hey."

Luke smiled, relieved to see _her_ enter the room and not another nurse. "Hey." 

"I'm glad you're awake," Lorelai said. "I was half expecting to get here and have someone tell me that you slipped into a coma while you were sleeping, so I'm very relieved to see that that didn't happen." She paused. "Huh. Unless it did, and I'm in a coma, too, and we're interacting in some sort of dream world."

"That could be," he agreed.

She dropped her stuff on the floor and walked over to him. "How're you holding up?"

Luke shrugged. "Been better. They woke me up at seven with a tray of what the nurse said was food, but I had to strongly disagree. And doctors and nurses keep coming in here checking stuff, it's annoying. And my shoulder's killing me despite the painkillers they gave me, plus I keep getting these stupid headaches." 

Lorelai frowned and stroked his arm. "Aw, I'm sorry, hon." 

He sighed and ran his fingers through the soft curls dangling neatly from her ponytail. "But you're a sight for sore eyes." He pulled her down into a kiss. 

Lorelai smiled through it. "Glad to hear it." She walked over and retrieved the duffel bag, then brought it back to the bed. "Okay, I have some clothes for ya. I brought a tank top because I figured that would be the easiest for you to put on. You wouldn't have to bend the arm too much."

"Good thinking."

"And right before I came here, I stopped at the newsstand and scanned the racks for anything sports-related in the title." She pulled a stack of magazines out of the bag and set them on the bedside table. "Just in case you were bored and felt like reading." 

"That was nice."

She pulled a small brown paper bag out of the duffel bag. "And because I'm so extremely thoughtful, I stopped and got bagels because I figured the food here would suck and that you'd need something edible."

"I do." He took the bag from her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." She put the duffel bag down on the floor, then perched herself on the edge of the bed next to him. He pulled out a bagel and handed it to her. "Thanks."

As he pulled out the second one, he said, "So, I called Caesar a little while ago and told him what's going on."

"Oh, good. And he's gonna be able to handle things while you're out of commission?"

"Yup." He took a bite of his bagel, then leaned his head back against the pillow. 

Lorelai slowly leaned back with him, and she was pressed up tightly against the right side of body. "Is this. . .does that bother you?"

"No, that's okay." He nodded toward his left arm, immobilized in a sling. "Only that side hurts." 

They were quiet for a few minutes as they both ate their bagels. Finally, Lorelai said, "Oh, Babette sends her love. As does every other person I ran into during the walk from the car to the newsstand to the bakery, then back to the car."

"That's nice." 

"Yeah." Lorelai stifled a yawn. "I'm exhausted. I couldn't sleep at all last night."

"Me, either."

She sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "Every time I closed my eyes, I just kept seeing the scene. You know, of when I first walked out of the school and saw your truck all smashed. And I was. . ." She swallowed hard and clutched her chest. "I mean, I couldn't even breathe. I couldn't move. And I wanted to run over and make sure you were okay, but at the same time, I _didn't_ want to just in case you _weren't_ okay. You know what I mean? I didn't know if I'd be able to handle it."

"Yeah."

"I was so scared. I mean, my first thought was that you were. . ." Her voice trailed off. She bit on her bottom lip and turned to him. "I just didn't know how hurt you were."

"It's not that bad," Luke assured her.

"Well, I know that now, thank God. But last night in bed, I just kept thinking about how much worse it could've been. And I was lying there, crying, holding onto your pillow like it was you, thinking about how upset I'd be if you'd. . ." She took a deep breath to keep from crying.

"Okay, stop, please," Luke said with a sigh. "This place is depressing enough by itself, I don't need you adding to it with conversations like this."

"Sorry." She turned onto her side and snuggled up closer to him. "By the way, your pillowcase is probably still soaked with tears. Forgive me?" He nodded and kissed the top of her head. 

A few minutes later, they were in the same position when a nurse walked into the room carrying an ice pack. She held it up and said, "Time to ice up."

"Ice up what?" Lorelai asked, sitting up.

"My shoulder," Luke answered. "It has to be iced a couple times a day."

"Oh." Lorelai climbed off the bed and took a few steps back as the nurse strapped the ice pack to his arm. 

"How's that?" the nurse asked. "Too tight, too loose?"

"No, it's good," Luke replied. 

"Okay, I'll be back in fifteen minutes to take it off," she said. "You haven't been moving your arm, have you?"

"I'm trying not to."

"Good." The nurse smiled at him, then at Lorelai as she walked past her out the room.

Lorelai walked back over to Luke. "Hm, isn't she a little. . ."

"A little what?"

"A little. . .I don't know. . ._young_ to be a nurse."

Luke shrugged. "I don't know how old she is, but she gives a damn good sponge bath."

Lorelai gasped, but then a smirk slowly formed on her lips and she slapped his knee. "Liar. Trying to make me jealous?" Luke smiled deviously as he leaned back against his pillow, and Lorelai climbed back onto the bed next to him.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Lorelai and Luke were watching television when there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Lorelai called. Rory and Christopher walked into the room, and Lorelai smiled. "Hey guys." She turned off the television.

"Hey," Rory said. 

Christopher nodded toward them. "Hey.

"How's the patient?" Rory asked. 

Luke shrugged. "Hanging in there."

"Did you guys just eat?" Lorelai asked, gesturing toward the takeout cup in Rory's hand. 

Rory nodded and held the cup out toward Lorelai. "Yeah, at the diner. And I wasn't sure if the coffee here would be up to your standards, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to bring you some of the good stuff."

Lorelai smiled and took the cup. "Thanks."

"And Luke, like 20 people came up to me while we were eating and asked how you were doing," Rory told him. "And I wasn't sure because I hadn't talked to you since last night, so I kept saying 'he's doing okay', which I hope is true, because if it turns out you're not doing okay, a lot of people are going to think I lied right to their faces."

Luke smiled. "Well, your reputation is saved because I'm doing okay."

"Okay, good. Everyone sends their good wishes."

"That's good to hear," he replied. "Thanks."

"So, how soon do you get to leave?" Christopher asked.

Luke shrugged. "They're gonna take some more X-rays in a little while. Hopefully after that they'll send me home."

"So what have you guys been doing? Just hanging out?" Rory asked.

"Yup. Luke let me play with the remote control for the bed," Lorelai said excitedly. "_While_ he was still in it."

"Oh yeah? What'd he do, use it as a bribe to get you to stop doing something?" Rory asked.

Lorelai scoffed. "No!" She paused and wrinkled her nose. "Well, sort of. It's how he got me to stop complaining about him making me watch a show about some stupid sports guy."

"Johnny Unitas was _not_ some stupid sports guy," Luke retorted. He gestured animatedly with his right hand as he explained, "He's one of the greatest football players to have ever played the game. He was the first quarterback to throw for 40,000 yards. He was Player of the Year three times. And when he retired, he held _twenty_-_two_ NFL records." Luke cocked his head and raised his eyebrows, satisfied he'd made his point.

Lorelai shrugged. "So, what, should I be impressed by all that or something?" 

Luke rolled his eyes. "Probably not. Are you _ever_ impressed by someone else's personal accomplishments?"

"Mine," Rory said, raising a hand.

"Besides Rory," Luke added.

"Yes. There's a guy from Japan who can eat like 50 hot dogs in twelve minutes," Lorelai said. "And not just the dogs, the buns, too. I'm _very_ impressed by that."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Sorry, my mistake. You're only impressed by the _really_ _important_ things."

Lorelai smiled. "That's right." She turned to Christopher. "So, tell me, how's Fred Astaire holding up?" 

Christopher shook his head slightly. "Remind me to write _dance marathon_ on my 'Never Do It Again' list."

Lorelai giggled. "Aw, come on, you know you had a little fun. You said so yesterday."

"Yeah, well, the fun I had yesterday was instantly negated by the morning-after pain," he informed her.

Lorelai grimaced. "So I'm guessing your feet feel as bad as mine do?"

"Do yours feel like people are stabbing at them with a thousand flaming knives?" 

Lorelai smiled. "Pretty much." 

"Oh, then I guess it's normal."

Lorelai nodded. "I should've warned you about that. It'll go away in a day or so."

"It's gonna be a fun drive home." Christopher glanced at his watch. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna get going. I just wanted to stop by before I headed out. . .see how everyone was, say goodbye, you know." 

"Aw, okay." Lorelai walked over to him and they hugged. "Thank you again. I really appreciate it." She kissed him on the cheek and pulled back. "And if your feet aren't better in a few days and you require some sort of surgery to get them feeling normal again. . ." 

"I can send you the bill?" Christopher suggested.

"No, I was gonna say, let me know so I can send you some flowers."

Christopher smiled. "Okay, you were being slightly less generous than I presumed. But I'll keep you posted of any surgical procedures."

"Okay, good." 

Christopher stepped toward the bed and extended a hand toward Luke. As they shook hands, he said, "Uh, hope you feel better."

Luke nodded appreciatively. "Thanks." 

"I'll walk you to the car, Dad," Rory offered. 

"Okay." Christopher and Rory left the room.

Lorelai sat in the chair next to the bed and took a long sip of her coffee. She set it on the bedside table, then stared at Luke for a few seconds before letting out a giggle. Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just, I've been so busy being concerned about your well-being that I haven't had time to fully appreciate how funny you look in that hospital gown." She leaned back in the chair and giggled toward the ceiling.

Luke rolled his eyes and glanced down at the gown. "I knew you'd get around to mocking it eventually."

She smiled. "Hey, it does show off your tattoo really well, so that's a plus. But I haven't seen you walk around in it yet – is it all open in the back so that your butt hangs out?"

"Can we change the subject please?"

Lorelai giggled. "It is, isn't it? Come on, get up and walk around for me."

"No."

"Come on, please."

"Forget it."

"Fine, I'll just wait until you go to the bathroom."

Luke sighed. "Could you make yourself useful and hand me that glass of water?" He gestured to his cup on the table.

"Sure." Lorelai stood up and retrieved it. She started to hand it to him, then pulled it back. "Wait, you're not gonna throw it at me, are you?"

"No, I'm gonna drink it."

"Promise?"

"Yes, can I have the stupid drink please?"

Lorelai handed it to him, then took a cautious step back. He took a long sip then held it out toward her. "Thanks."

As she reached for it, he jerked his arm like he was going to throw it at her, and she flinched and let out a small yelp. Luke smiled. "Kidding." 

Lorelai frowned at him as she took the cup and returned it to the table. "I see you didn't lose your desire to tease me in the accident."

"Nope."

They talked for a few minutes before the door opened and Rory walked back in. "Look who I found downstairs," she announced. Sookie followed her into the room carrying a plastic container.

Lorelai smiled. "Sookie, hey." 

"Oh my God, I heard about the accident this morning from Patty and I couldn't believe it." Sookie walked over to the bed. "How are you? What happened?"

"Some guy rammed into me while I was crossing the intersection," Luke explained. 

Lorelai giggled, and everyone looked at her questioningly. She explained to Luke, "I'm sorry, but in addition to being too concerned about you to mock the gown, I've also been too concerned to mock the fact that you've repeatedly used the phrase 'some guy rammed into me'." She giggled. "Dirty!"

Rory made a face. "Mom, come on."

"Moving on." Sookie turned back to Luke. "So what's wrong? What happened to your shoulder?"

"Dislocated it," he replied. "It'll be in a sling for a few weeks."

"He also has a concussion," Lorelai added.

Sookie frowned sympathetically. "Aw, that stinks. But it could've been worse, I guess."

"What's in there?" Lorelai gestured to the container.

Sookie held it up and smiled. "They always say that nothing'll help ya heal faster than some nice homemade oatmeal cookies." She held the container out toward Luke.

Luke narrowed his eyes as he accepted it. "Uh, yeah, that's what I've heard." 

"And don't worry, I know you don't like to eat junk food, so I made the low-fat, low-sugar recipe."

"Thanks."

The four of them talked for a few minutes, and there was a knock at the door. "Busy hour around here," Rory commented.

"Come in," Lorelai called.

The door slowly opened, and a nurse pushed a man in a wheelchair into the room. The man appeared to be in his early forties. He had a bandage across his forehead, one around his knee, and a cast on his right arm. He glanced around nervously. "Um, sorry to interrupt, but I'm looking for Luke Danes."

"You found him," Luke replied. "What can I do for ya?"

The man cleared his throat. "Well, I'm Bert. Uh, Bert Donaldson. I was. . .driving the van." He looked down uncomfortably.

Luke's eyes widened and he pursed his lips. "Oh."

"Yeah. And, uh, I just wanted to. . .you know, apologize for what happened." He glanced toward the ground with slight embarrassment, undoubtedly because of the people who were all staring at him.

Lorelai noticed his discomfort and quickly stood up. "You know, this is. . .uh, why don't we. . .we'll let you guys. . .you know. . ." She grabbed her cup of coffee, then ushered Rory and Sookie out of the room into the hallway. "Let's go for a little walk so they can talk."

"But what if they get into a fight or something?" Sookie asked.

"How bad can a fight be between two men in casts?" Lorelai asked. "Plus, the nurse is still in there." 

"I didn't recognize him," Rory said. "Do you think he's from Stars Hollow?"

"I don't know. I've never seen him before," Lorelai said. "How do you think he tracked down Luke?" 

Sookie shrugged. "He probably asked around the hospital for 'the otherguy who was in the accident.'" They walked to the waiting area and sat down, and Sookie eyed Lorelai's coffee cup. "How many cups have you had today?" Sookie held up two fingers, reminding her that two is the suggested limit. "Remember, you should only – " 

"I know, I know," Lorelai waved her off. "This is only my second cup."

"Okay." Sookie nodded approvingly, then her eyes widened. "Oh, hey – while you're here at the hospital, maybe you should get a doctor's opinion on it, see what they say about the caffeine thing."

Rory glanced back and forth between them. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing," Lorelai replied quickly. "Don't worry about it." She sighed and glanced toward the room. "We should've brought the cookies with us. Maybe I can sneak in and grab them."

Rory rolled her eyes. "It won't kill you to wait five more minutes. And if it does, you're in luck, because we're in a hospital and there are lots of people here who can revive you from your death caused by 'lack of cookies.'"

Lorelai frowned and shook her finger at Rory. "Never mock cravings."

* * *

A few minutes later, the nurse wheeled Bert out, and Lorelai, Rory, and Sookie walked back into the room. Luke was sitting on the bed fingering a piece of paper, and he looked up when they walked in. "Hey."

"Hey. How'd it go?" Lorelai asked. 

Luke shrugged. "Fine." He held up the piece of paper. "This is his name and phone number and stuff. Can you hold onto it?"

"Yeah." She took the paper, folded it up, and put it into her pocket. "What did he say?"

"He apologized," Luke replied. "Said he knows it was his fault and that he'll cover the damages."

"Did you guys fight or yell or. . ."

"No, it was all calm. He said he was having family trouble and he went out for a long drive to clear his head. Said he wasn't thinking straight and he didn't see my truck 'til the last second, and he went to slam on his break and he accidentally hit the gas pedal." 

Lorelai scoffed. "Oh my God. Aren't you required to know the pedals before you're allowed to get a license?"

Luke shrugged. "I guess when you're not really concentrating on driving, things can happen."

"Didn't you see him coming and try to swerve?" Rory asked.

"I saw him before I went through the intersection, but I had the right of way. So by the time I realized he hadn't stopped at the corner like I thought he would. . ."

"It was too late to do anything?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah. But it's all settled now, don't worry about it." He yawned and leaned back against his pillow. 

"Oh, we should go," Sookie said. "Let you get some rest."

"Yeah, we'll get outta here," Rory said. She patted Luke on his good arm. "I'll see you later at home."

"Okay. Thanks for coming by," Luke said. "And thanks, Sookie."

"You're welcome. Feel better," she replied. She glanced at Lorelai and held up two fingers.

Lorelai smiled. "I know, bye Sookie." She walked over and hugged her, then Rory. "Bye hon." Sookie and Rory left the room. 

Lorelai walked back over to the bed, and Luke's eyes were closed. "I'll just get outta your way, too," Lorelai whispered. "I'll wait down in the waiting area."

Luke opened his eyes and grabbed her hand. "Don't."

"What?"

"Stay in here." He scooted over on the bed, grimacing slightly from his shoulder pain, then patted the mattress. 

"You sure? Because I can just – " 

"Please." He patted the mattress again. "I need you to stay."

Lorelai nodded. "Sure, okay." She climbed into the bed next to him. 

He pulled her closer and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."

* * *

A few hours later, Lorelai was helping Luke get dressed as they prepared to go home. As she buttoned his jeans for him, he sighed. "This is so demeaning. I feel like I'm two years old with you having to dress me like this."

Lorelai smiled. "Two-year-olds don't fill out the front of their jeans quite as well as you do, hon." 

He glanced down at them. "I think sweat pants might've been better. It'd be easier to get 'em on and off."

Lorelai shrugged. "I'll help you change when we get home." Luke rolled his eyes at the thought, and she patted him on the chest. "Don't worry about it. You probably won't need as much help with getting dressed and stuff after a few days."

"I know."  


"So just enjoy the personal attention while it lasts," Lorelai told him. 

"I'll try." 

Lorelai began throwing his things into the duffel bag, and she held up his hospital gown. "Wanna take this as a memento?"

"No, thank you. I never wanna see that again. Burn it."

"I'll ask the nurses to send it directly to the incinerator," she promised. She picked up his flannel shirt. "You wanna put this on? It's a little cold out."

Luke nodded. He slipped his right arm through the sleeve, and she draped the left side of the shirt over his other shoulder, tucking the sleeve gently into the sling. "That okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine." 

She stuck Sookie's cookie container and the stack of magazines into the duffel bag, then glanced around the room. "Let's see, did we miss anything?"

Luke shook his head. "Nah, I think we got it all." Lorelai zipped up the duffel bag. Luke stepped into his shoes, then sat down on the bed. "Can you, uh. . ." 

"Yeah." Lorelai kneeled in front of him and tied the shoes, then stood up. "There." 

Luke stood up. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Lorelai pulled on her jacket. Luke picked up the duffel bag, but she quickly took it from him. "Don't worry about it, I got it." 

"I'm not a complete invalid," he reminded her. "I can carry it."

"I got it." She kissed him. "Let's go home." She grabbed her purse and they walked out of the room. 

* * *

To be continued. . .

Okay, no cliffhanger this time, so hopefully you'll forgive me for the last one. :) Thanks for all the feedback. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be ready, probably about a week and a half.


	8. Part 8

"It's Still There – part 8"

* * *

When they arrived home from the hospital, they went right upstairs to the bedroom so Luke could take a nap before lunch. After helping him change into sweatpants and get comfortable in the bed, Lorelai went downstairs where Rory was studying on the couch. 

"Everything okay?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, he's up there resting." Lorelai collapsed on the couch. "I'm exhausted."

"You should be. I mean, all that dancing yesterday, only a few hours of sleep last night, plus all this stuff with Luke you're dealing with. . .it's a lot. Why don't you go take a nap?"

"Nah, I wanna be awake in case Luke wakes up and needs something."

"Well, I'll be up. I can get him whatever he needs."

Lorelai shrugged. "I'm okay. I probably won't be able to sleep anyway with so much on my mind right now."

"Well, you want me to make you some coffee?" Rory offered. "That might help a little."

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, yeah, that would be – " She stopped herself when she realized she'd already had her two-cup limit. She shook her head and waved her off. "No, thanks. I'm good." She propped her feet up on the coffee table and folded her arms across her chest.

Rory eyed her curiously for a moment. "Mom, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the fact that you just said no to coffee when you obviously need it is enough in itself to make me think something's up, but added to the little conversation earlier with Sookie about the so-called 'caffeine thing', I'm pretty sure something's going on that you're not telling me. So what is it?"

Lorelai sighed, then turned her body to face Rory and leaned back against the armrest. "Nothing, I'm just. . .I'm trying to cut back on coffee. Too much caffeine is bad for you."

Rory's eyes slowly widened. "You just said that 'too much caffeine is bad for you' – did I hear that right?"

"Yes, you did."

"You just all of a sudden woke up one day and decided to listen to the people who have forever been telling you that the insane amount of coffee you consume isn't exactly healthy?" 

Lorelai forced a smile. "Um, yes?" 

Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom, what's up?"

Lorelai sighed. "Hon, it's just. . .it's something you're probably not gonna wanna hear about. " 

"Try me."

Lorelai reluctantly explained to her about the article she'd read the day before, and finished by asking, "Too much information?"

Rory shrugged. "It isn't any more personal than you telling me you guys were trying in the first place."

"Good point."

Rory eyed her curiously. "You really think you'll be able to do this? I mean, asking you to cut back on coffee is like asking. . ." She paused to think up a good analogy. "Okay, I can't think of an example right now, but it's next to impossible."   


"Aw, that's Mommy supportive girl. Thanks, honey." 

"Sorry. But really, you think you can do it?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. I'm gonna try, we'll see how it goes." 

There was a knock at the side door, and they both glanced at it. Babette and Morey were looking in the window and Lorelai waved them in. They walked into the house. "Hey girls," Babette greeted them.

"Hey," Rory said.

"Hey. What do you have there?" Lorelai gestured to a fruit basket that Morey was holding.

He set it on the coffee table. "It's for Luke."

"Aw, that's nice of you."

"We saw you guys come home a little while ago, but we wanted to give him time to get settled," Babette said. "Where is he?"

"Oh, actually, he's upstairs resting." Lorelai stood up. "I can go check to see if he's still awake. . ."

Babette waved her off. "No, no, you let him rest. He needs his strength living in this house with you two crazy girls. Morey and I'll stop back later and see him."

"Sounds good. Thanks for coming by, that was nice of you guys." Lorelai walked them to the door. 

Morey stepped out onto the porch as Lorelai hugged Babette goodbye. "And you tell Luke that if he wants to get revenge on the guy who crashed into him, Morey knows a couple guys in New York who'd be happy to help out," Babette said. "We just gotta give 'em a couple days notice so they can get all the supplies they'll need."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oh, uh, I don't think that'll be necessary, Babette, but I'm sure he'll appreciate the offer."

"All right, but if you change your mind. . ."

"You'll be the first person we call," Lorelai said. "Bye guys." She watched them walk off the porch, then shut the door and walked back to the couch.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Lorelai was watching television when she heard movement upstairs. She turned off the TV and walked up the steps. Luke wasn't in the bedroom, but the bathroom door was closed, suggesting his whereabouts. She walked to the door and knocked on it lightly. "Luke, everything okay? You need any help?"

"Uh, no. Believe it or not, I mastered this toilet stuff at the age of three."

"Ah, yes, but did you master it one-handed? That's the question." 

"Really, it's not that difficult."

"Okay." Lorelai walked to the bedroom and sat on the bed to wait for him. When he walked back into the room, Lorelai stood up. "Hey."

"Hey."

"How was your nap?"

Luke shrugged. "Not the most comfortable one I've ever had." He glanced down at his sling. "Could've done without the continuous throbbing pain."

"Aw. Well, Rory left about ten minutes ago to pick up your prescription for me, so hopefully that'll help." Lorelai ran her fingers through his hair, then over his cheek. "You hungry? I gave Rory some extra money and asked her to pick up some takeout."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I could eat."

"Good. I think it's about time to ice your shoulder again. We can do that while we're waiting for her."

Luke nodded, and the two of them walked downstairs. In the kitchen, Lorelai helped secure the ice pack onto his shoulder, then they waited on the couch for Rory.

It was only a few minutes before Rory returned home, and Jess, carrying a pizza, followed her through the front door. "I'm home," Rory announced as they walked into the living room. "The pizza place was having one of their 'buy a pizza, get a free teenage boy to carry it home for you' promotions."

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, good. Hey Jess."

"Hey." Jess nodded toward her, then at Luke. "Everyone's talking about the accident. Saw the truck this morning at the garage, it looks pretty bad."

"It's seen better days," Luke agreed.

Rory handed Lorelai the bag from the pharmacy. "After I picked up the medicine, I stopped to get the pizza, and as I was heading back home, I ran into Jess who said he was on his way over. So I graciously let him to carry the pizza for me."

"That worked out well," Lorelai commented. 

"Yeah, those pizzas can get pretty heavy," Rory said. "Here, I'll take it." She took the pizza from Jess and went to the kitchen.

Jess walked over and sat in the armchair across from Luke. "So. . .is everything. . ." He gestured to Luke's sling.

Luke glanced down at it. "Yeah, it's just a dislocated shoulder."

"Does it hurt?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, but they said the pain should lessen in a few days."

"How long do you have to wear that thing?"

"A couple weeks." Luke shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. "What about you? You doing good?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Work, school. . ."

"Yeah, it's all going good."

"Was I supposed to wait for you?" Rory called from the kitchen. "Because I'm eating already."

"We're coming," Lorelai called back. She stood up. "Uh, Jess, you wanna stay for lunch? There's plenty of pizza, and you'll be one of the very few people to get a detailed first-hand account from the victim of Stars Hollow's worst accident in sixteen years. What do you say?"

Jess glanced down at his watch. "Uh, yeah, I can stay for a little bit. I got work at two."

"Good. Let's go eat." The three of them headed toward the kitchen.

* * *

That night, Lorelai walked into the bedroom where Luke was watching television. "How's the little baseball game going?"

"It's game seven of the World Series," he corrected her. "It's more than a _little_ baseball game."

She rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. "Sorry. How's it going?"

"It's okay." He yawned loudly. "I don't think I'm gonna make it through the whole thing."

Lorelai rubbed his leg. "Long day, huh?"

"Yeah."

"And lots of visitors," Lorelai added. "Lots of people were worried about you. That should make you feel good."

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, it was nice."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I can't believe Kirk brought his trophy with him. I swear, one of these days I'm gonna take that thing and beat him over the head with it. I think the only slightly positive result of this accident is that it took over the front page of the Gazette and pushed the story of Kirk's victory to the back."

"Well, that's why I did it." Luke turned off the television, then stood up. "I'm gonna go get ready for bed." He started walking to the door.

"You need any help?" Lorelai asked, standing up.

"I think I'll be okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Call if you need me."

Luke walked to the bathroom, and Lorelai changed for bed. As she was buttoning her pajama shirt, Luke returned to the room. He walked over to the bed and stared down at it, and Lorelai walked over to him. "What are you looking at?"

"The bed." He glanced down at his left arm in the sling, then gestured to the bed. "I was thinking that maybe we could switch sides for awhile."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes with confusion. "Switch sides? How come?"

"Because I'll be sleeping on my back and my shoulder will be between us and you might bump into it in the middle of the night or something," Luke explained. "But if I sleep on _your_ usual side, that can't happen 'cause you'll be on my right side."

"Ah." She glanced down at the bed. "Well. . .yeah, I guess we could switch."

Luke noticed her hesitancy. "We don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought – "

"No, I want to," she insisted. "I wanna do whatever will make you more comfortable."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It's just. . .we've slept on the same sides for like five months," she said. "I might wake up in the middle of the night and get confused and not know where I am."

Luke rolled his eyes. "You're gonna be two feet over from your normal place. It's really not that big a difference."

"I know, but I'm just saying, you should be prepared for a potential freak-out in the middle of the night just in case." They climbed into the bed and situated themselves under the covers. "Wow, it's a whole different view of the room from over here."

"Go to sleep."

"I am, but listen, here's the deal for tomorrow. I have to go into work in the morning, but I'm gonna see if I can get Michel to cover for me in the afternoon so I can come home early."

"Why?"

"Why? To help you out. I don't wanna leave you here by yourself all day."

"Forget it, I'll be fine."

"But what if you need help doing something?"

"I probably won't."

"But what if you do?"

"I'll probably be in bed or lying on the couch most of the day. That doesn't require much assistance."

"No, but you'll need help getting something to eat, with your ice pack, stuff like that."

"I'll manage."

"But – "

Luke let out an annoyed sigh. "Lorelai, I'll be _fine._ Please, can we just go to sleep already?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him, but attributed his crabby tone to tiredness. "Geez, okay, sorry." She leaned over and kissed him goodnight. "Night."

"Night."

* * *

Five days later, on Friday morning, Lorelai walked into the Independence Inn kitchen. She poured herself a cup of coffee, then walked over to Sookie at the stove. "Hey. What's going on?" She glanced at the pots. "Ooh, is it fruity syrup day?"

"Yes, it is."

"What kinds are you making? Same as usual?"

"Blueberry, raspberry, peach, and apple-cinnamon."

"Mm, apple-cinnamon, that's new. No strawberry this time?"

"Nah, I decided to mix it up a little and go with the apple-cinnamon instead." Sookie thought for a second, then gasped. "Oh my God! But what if there are people who look forward to fruity syrup day and they always get the strawberry syrup and then they get here and find out that there's no strawberry syrup?"

"They'll live," Lorelai assured her. "They'll try one of your other flavors and they'll like it just as much."

"Or they'll be really disappointed and never come back here again!"

"Trust me, if someone decides never to come back here again, it'll be because Michel yelled at them, not because there was no strawberry syrup for their pancakes." Lorelai patted her on the back. "Don't worry about it."

Sookie stared at the four pots in front of her. "I can call Jackson and ask him to bring me some strawberries."

"Sookie, it's fine. Forget about it," Lorelai said. "I'm sure anyone who was previously looking forward to the strawberry syrup won't mind trying a new flavor. Really, honey."

Sookie nibbled on her bottom lip. "I hope you're right."

"I am right." 

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "So what's up with you? How was your Halloween?"

"Good." Lorelai rubbed her stomach. "I think I ate about five pounds of candy last night. You know how it goes, one for the trick-or-treaters, five for me." 

"Absolutely."

Lorelai smiled. "And one time I answered the door and there was this lady holding this little baby dressed as a puppy. Aw, God, it was the cutest thing in the world."

Sookie smiled. "Aw, I bet it was adorable." She gestured to the coffee Lorelai was holding. "You still hanging in there?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, I've been good all week. I've noticed that I get a little crankier than usual toward the evening hours, but other than that, it hasn't been too bad. I'm even starting to get used to the decaf. Not in a 'Mm, decaf' kind of way, but an 'Ugh, decaf. . . I'll tolerate it' kind of way."

"Good, good. What else is new?" 

"Luke went to his follow-up doctor's appointment yesterday."

"Oh, right. How'd that go?"

"Good. He doesn't have to wear that bandage on his head anymore, and everything with the shoulder looks like it's healing good so far."

"That's great," Sookie said. "How's Luke doing?"

Lorelai shrugged. "He's okay. Rory and I have been helping him a lot all week, and he's always tired, so that makes him a little cranky at times, but the doctor said it's normal." 

Sookie nodded and stirred her syrups. "Friday night dinner tonight?"

"Yeah. Rory has to stay after school for the paper, so she's gonna meet me at my parents' house, so I have to drive up there alone."

"Luke's not going?"

"I asked him but he said he doesn't want to. And I don't blame him because my parents don't know about the accident yet, so as soon as they see the sling they'll just start pestering him with questions about it, and I know he doesn't wanna have to deal with that." 

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to either."

Lorelai glanced at her watch. "Ooh, I gotta go." She started walking toward the lobby door. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." Sookie stared down at the syrups in front of her. "Probably wouldn't hurt to make a _little_ batch of – "

"Don't worry about the strawberry syrup, Sookie," Lorelai called from the doorway.

Sookie quickly nodded. "Right, sorry."

* * *

That night, Lorelai arrived home from work just after six. She dropped her purse on the bench and looked into the living room. The television was on, but the room was empty. "Luke?"

"In here," he called. He was in the kitchen getting out supplies to make a sandwich. He set the jar of low-fat mayonnaise on the table next to the package of sliced turkey, then walked over to get some bread from the bread drawer. 

Lorelai walked to the doorway. "Hey. Whatcha doing?"

"Making dinner." He dropped two slices of bread on the table, then walked over to get a knife from the utensil drawer. He brought it to the table, then sat down to make the sandwich. 

Lorelai walked over and kissed him, then sat in the chair next to him. "Here, let me help you." She picked up the jar of mayonnaise and opened it, then picked up the knife. 

He took the knife back from her. "I got it. You should go get ready for dinner."

"It's okay, I have time." Lorelai reached for the knife again, but Luke held it out of her reach. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing's the matter. I can make the sandwich _myself_."

Lorelai held up her hands in surrender. "Fine, make it, geez."

"So how was work?" Luke made the sandwich while Lorelai gave an overview of her day. 

When he was finished, Lorelai stood up. "Here, I'll put the things away for you." She picked up the mayonnaise jar and secured the lid, then picked up the package of turkey and walked both items over to the fridge. "You want a drink?"

Luke picked up his plate and stood up. "I have one out on the coffee table." He started walking toward the living room, and Lorelai followed him. 

As he sat down on the couch, she started walking up the steps. "I'm gonna go get ready for dinner." She went upstairs to change. 

A few minutes passed, and as she was brushing her hair, she heard a "Dammit!" from downstairs.

She walked into the hallway. "Everything okay?" she called down the steps. 

"It's fine," was his gruff response.

She walked down the stairs and saw that Luke's drink had spilled all over the coffee table, and he was trying to one-handedly mop it up with a dishtowel. 

"There's too much damn junk on here." He put the towel down so he could move the magazines from the table before they became soaked, then picked up the towel and resumed wiping the spill. 

Lorelai walked over and kneeled down next to the table. "Here, I'll do it." She grabbed the towel from him and spread it open, using both hands to sop up the liquid. 

Luke sighed and stood up. "Of course you will. You can do everything."

She stared up at him, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I'm gonna get another drink." He grabbed his cup from the table and walked toward the kitchen. 

Lorelai left the soaking towel on the coffee table and followed him. "Luke?"

He threw the plastic cup into the sink and it clanged loudly against the other dishes that were already in there. 

Lorelai scoffed. "God, what's your problem?" 

Luke turned around to face her. They were standing across from each other, separated by the kitchen table. "You wanna know my problem? My problem is that I can't do anything around here without you trying to do it for me. It's driving me crazy!"

Lorelai held up her hand. "Wait – you're pissed because I helped you clean up the freaking table?" 

"It's not just the table, Lorelai, it's everything. I open the door to go get the mail and you or Rory run out to get it for me. I try to get myself a drink, one of you practically pushes me out of the way so you can get to the fridge first. I can't leave a room without you asking me where I'm going and if I'll need help when I get there. I can't do _anything_ by myself anymore – do you know how damn annoying it's getting?"

Lorelai scoffed. "God, Luke, kill us for trying to be nice and help you." 

"But I don't need help _all the time!_ Sometimes, yes, but there _are_ things that I can do by myself and I _need_ to do them by myself," he said sternly. "I don't need to be completely babied."

"We're not trying to baby you," Lorelai insisted. "We're trying to make things easier for you while your arm's healing. You'd do the same thing if it happened to one of us. You'd take care of us."

Luke pointed at her across the table. "There's a big difference between taking care of someone and treating them like they're completely useless!"

Lorelai held up both her hands. "Okay, look, you need to stop yelling at me 'cause that's so not helping the situation here."

Luke took a deep breath and stared down at the floor. "Sorry," he muttered.

Lorelai walked over to him. "Hon. . .talk to me." She ran a hand over his good arm. "I really don't think that me being overly helpful is what's making you freak out this much. What else is wrong?"

Luke sighed and shook his head. "I'm just so. . ." He groaned down at his immobilized arm. "I'm sick of all this. I hate this stupid sling. I hate walking outside for one second and having ten people run up and ask me how I'm feeling. I hate not getting up and going to work. I'm just. . . I'm tired of it." 

Lorelai frowned sympathetically. "I know it's frustrating. I know it sucks. And I wish I could help the healing process go faster for you, but I can't. We just have to take it a day at a time and realize that it's gonna get better as it goes on."

"I guess."

"Look, when you start feeling annoyed and frustrated, you can't just keep it inside that sexy body of yours," Lorelai told him. "You need to talk to someone about it. If, for some reason, you don't wanna talk to _me_, then call up one of your friends and talk to them. Or talk to Kirk, he'll listen to anyone. It makes him feel popular."

"I didn't feel like talkin' about it," he mumbled.

"Okay, but do you really think that keeping everything inside until you can't take it anymore and then exploding at your wife is the most effective way to deal with things?"

Luke shrugged. "Probably not."

"So. . .that's why you need to get it out. You need to – "

"Look," Luke interrupted with a sigh. "I don't feel like doing this right now." He took a step back from her. "I just. . . I need to go get some air or something." He walked past her toward the back door, and Lorelai frowned as she watched him walk out of the house. 

* * *

It was slightly after seven when Lorelai rang the doorbell of her parents' house. The maid answered and invited her in, and after hanging up her coat, she walked to the living room. Richard, Emily, and Rory sat on the sofas talking.

"Sorry I'm a little late," Lorelai said as she sat down next to Rory.

"Oh, that's all right," Richard said.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Uh, yeah. Just. . .you know, traffic."

Emily picked up her glass of wine from the coffee table. "Well, dinner's ready so we can move right into the dining room." She and Richard left the room.

Lorelai leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes, sighing loudly. Rory patted her on the knee. "Mom, what's wrong?"

She opened her eyes. "Nothing."

"Mom, Grandma and Grandpa don't know you well enough to recognize your 'I'm stressed' face, but I do," Rory told her. "So what's wrong?"

Lorelai sighed. "Nothing. It's just, Luke and I were talking before I left, and he's feeling kind of. . .frustrated."

"About what?"

"About everything. About being so restricted in what he can do. He's sick of wearing the sling and of not being able to go to work and all that, and it just. . .makes me feel so bad for him, you know?"

"What's taking you two so long?" Emily called from the dining room.

"Coming!" Lorelai called back. She and Rory stood up and started walking toward the dining room. "So. . .we were talking and I was trying to be supportive and everything, and then he said he needed to go get some air and he left. And I wanted to follow him and talk to him some more, but then I would've been even later to dinner and I didn't wanna incur the wrath of Emily." She sighed. 

Rory rubbed her back comfortingly. "It's okay. You guys'll talk tonight."

Lorelai sighed again. "I so don't wanna be here right now."

They entered the dining room and sat in their usual seats. Dinner was served, and the four of them started eating. Lorelai stared down at her plate and picked at her food, trying to drown out everything around her. She didn't notice when Emily asked her a question.

"Lorelai!" Emily said loudly to get her attention.

Surprised, Lorelai quickly jerked her head up to look at Emily. "What?" She grimaced and rubbed the back of her neck. "Ow, that hurt."

"I asked you a question," Emily said indignantly. "You don't just ignore a person when they ask you a question. Do you have any idea how rude that is? And sit up straight. This is dinner, not a poker game."

"Really? 'Cause I could've sworn tonight was 'dinner and gambling night'," Lorelai replied. "But I could've read the calendar wrong, maybe it's next week. I'll bring the cards. I have a pack with the dancers of Chippendales on 'em."

"Sit up," Emily repeated through pursed lips.

Lorelai sighed and sat up straighter in her chair. She continued to pick at her food.

"You still haven't answered the question," Emily pointed out.

"I didn't hear the question, Mother," Lorelai said.

"She asked you how things were at the inn," Richard said.

"Things at the inn are the same as they were last week," Lorelai said with an annoyed sigh. "And the week before that and the week before that and every other week that you've asked me that same question. Fine. They're always fine. Fine, fine, fine."

"Mom." Rory gave Lorelai a 'chill out' look.

"You don't need to take that tone, young lady," Richard warned Lorelai.

"Yes, you're being awfully rude tonight," Emily snapped. "First you arrive late, and then you act like we're attacking you just because we want to know how your work is. Is it too much to ask that for the one night a week we get to interact with you that you actually participate in the interaction non-defensively?"

Lorelai sighed and her voice softened. "No, it's not too much to ask. I'm sorry, okay? I'm having a bad night. I don't mean to take it out on you or your questions or this piece of pork that I've stabbed fifty times with my fork. I just. . .have a lot on my mind right now, so why don't you just ask Rory some questions for a little while."

"Rory got here thirty minutes before you did," Emily reminded her. "We've already asked her plenty of questions."

"Well, then, ask her the questions you have for me," Lorelai said. "I'm sure she can answer them just as well as I could."

"Fine," Emily replied haughtily. She turned to Rory. "Rory. . .how are things at the inn?"

"Uh, I think they're fine, Grandma."

"And that dance marathon that your mother kept talking about last week – how did that go?" Emily asked. 

Rory shrugged. "Oh, well, it was okay. They didn't win the trophy, but they hung in there for a pretty long time."

"And how's Luke?" Richard asked.

Rory glanced awkwardly toward Lorelai, then down at her plate. "Oh, uh, he's. . .okay, I guess. I mean, he's been better. He's a little. . .well. . ."

"He had an accident." 

Emily and Richard turned to look at Lorelai. "An accident? What kind of accident?" Richard asked.

"A car accident," Lorelai replied. "On Saturday night after the dance marathon. He had to go to the hospital."

Emily gasped. "Oh my goodness! Is he all right? Was anyone else in the car?"

"No, just him. He had a dislocated shoulder, a concussion, a couple of bumps and bruises," Lorelai explained. "His arm'll be in a sling for a couple weeks, but he's doing okay."

"My word, that's horrible," Emily commented. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? We would've sent flowers."

"He's not really the flowers type," Lorelai replied.

"Still, Lorelai, Luke is a member of our family now, and when something as serious as a car accident happens to a member of our family, we want to know about it," Emily said.

Lorelai let out an annoyed sigh. "Yes, well, next time it happens, you'll be the first person I call, even before the ambulance. Now can we please change the subject?" She stabbed her fork into a roasted potato and shoved it into her mouth. 

* * *

That night, Lorelai walked into the dark bedroom and Luke was already in bed. She quietly gathered her pajamas and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she returned to the bedroom a few minutes later, she saw that Luke was awake and sitting up. "Hi."

"Hey." She shifted her feet. "Uh, I thought you were asleep."

"I wasn't."

"I see that now."

Luke beckoned to her, and she walked over and sat next to him on the bed. He ran his hand through her hair and down her arm, finally letting it rest on her thigh. She put her hand on top of his. 

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "So. . .um. . .we're okay, right?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, we're good." 

"Good." She kissed him. "'Cause I hate fighting with you."

"Me, too. And listen. . .I _do_ appreciate your help," Luke added. "I mean, I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't. This whole recovery process would be a lot harder without you. Rory, too. So. . .you know. . .thanks."

Lorelai smiled. "You're welcome. And I'll try to. . . you know, be more aware of my obsessive over-helping."

"Just ask me first," Luke said. "Ask if I need help, and if I say no, then just let it go. You don't need to try to take over."

Lorelai nodded. "Got it, ask first." They were quiet for a moment. "So where'd you go when you left?"

"Walked around for awhile," Luke said. "Finally ended up at the cemetery."

"Did you try to bury yourself alive?"

"No, I just. . .I needed somewhere quiet to think. So I sat down on a bench and just. . .thought."

"About?"

"Everything. You, me, this past week." 

"And what are your conclusions?"

"That I should've talked to you," he admitted. "When I started getting annoyed, I should've just sat down and talked to you about it."

"Yes, you should've," she agreed. "It only would've taken a 'Hey hon, you're extremely gorgeous and sexy, but I need you to hold back with the helpfulness.'" She smiled and added, "Though you could've substituted other synonyms for gorgeous and sexy if those aren't your preferred choices."

Luke smiled. "They seem like good ones." He glanced down at the blanket and fingered the fringe. "And. . .I guess I probably should've talked to you about the other stuff, too. About how frustrated I was gettin' with everything. You know, instead of just keeping it in."

"I'm always here when you need someone to rant to," she reminded him. 

"I know. . . thanks."

Lorelai smiled and patted him on the knee. "You're welcome."

"So, how was dinner?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes and groaned in response.

"Uh oh. Not good?"

"No, and it's all your fault."

Luke snickered. "How so?"

"Because I was worried about you. I felt bad that you were all upset and everything, so I was in a cranky mood. And you know that cranky Lorelai does not mesh well with Emily Gilmore."

"No, she doesn't. So what happened?"

Lorelai waved him off. "I don't wanna talk about it now."

"Okay." 

They were both quiet for a few seconds, staring into each others' eyes as Luke began stroking her arm. They kissed passionately, and she gently pushed him back against the bed and crawled on top of him. He slipped his hand under her pajama top and caressed the soft curves of her back. They kissed for a minute before Lorelai whispered, "Luke?" 

"Hm?"

"It's been over a week," she muttered in between kisses. 

"You think I haven't realized that?"

She pulled back and sat up, straddling his waist. "No, but you didn't bring it up, and you didn't seem like you were ever really in the mood anyway, so I didn't bring it up either."

"The mood seems right now." He moved his hand up to her neck and pulled her down into a kiss. 

She pulled back with a concerned look. "Are you sure? I mean, are you too tired? Does your shoulder hurt?" 

"A little, but I'll deal with it." 

Lorelai bit her lip with hesitancy. "I don't know. It might be too much for you."

"Trust me, I can deal with it." He paused, then nodded toward his sling. "But I can't put any weight on it. So. . .I mean, I won't be able to. . .you'd have to be. . ." His voice trailed off and he gestured to her. "You know."

Lorelai smiled and raised one eyebrow. "On top? I think I can handle it."

"You _are_ pretty good at it," he agreed.

She gasped. "Excuse me?" She gyrated her hips, lightly grinding her pelvis against his. 

He groaned at the sensation. "Okay, _very_ good."

Lorelai smiled. "That's better." She leaned down and kissed him.

* * * 

To be continued. . .

The next chapter's about halfway done and should be up by next weekend. Thanks to everyone for reading. :)


	9. Part 9

"It's Still There – part 9"

* * * 

That night, Lorelai and Luke lay next to each other in bed, both breathing heavily. Lorelai glanced at him and remarked, "I don't know why _you're_ so exhausted. I'm the one that did all the work."

"Hey, I did a little bit," he retorted. "And do you know how difficult it is trying to balance severe pain and pleasure at the same time? It's tiring."

Lorelai smiled and rolled onto her side. "Yeah, you were making some pretty weird facial expressions there. Did your arm hurt bad?"

Luke inhaled deeply, then slowly let out the breath. "Not too much at first, but then. . .yeah, it kinda hurt."

Lorelai frowned sympathetically and ran her hand over his chest. "I'm sorry. We probably should've waited a few more days."

"It's fine. The pleasure more than compensated for the pain."

She smiled. "It _was_ damn pleasurable." She rolled onto her back and put her hands behind her head. She glanced down at her chest and announced, "I should get bigger boobs."

Luke groaned and rolled his eyes. "Not this again."

She covered her breasts with her hands. "They feel small."

"Well, they're not. They're fine."

"I don't want them to be _fine _boobs. I want them to be _spectacular _boobs."

"Fine, they're spectacular." 

"Tsk, you're just saying that."

Luke sighed. "What did I say the last time you brought this up?"

"That you would like me better with bigger boobs?"

"Try again."

"That Larry Flynt will never put me on the cover of _Hustler_ with boobs like these?"

"Lorelai."

Lorelai sighed and muttered, "That my body's perfect the way it is."

"Yes. And?"

"And that I don't really want bigger boobs, that I just bring it up as a conversation topic because I like saying the word 'boobs', which, by the way, is not true."

"It is, too."

Lorelai smirked. "Okay, maybe it is." She snuggled up against him and he draped his arm behind her and held her protectively against his body. They lay quietly for a few minutes as he gently ran his fingers over her back.

Lorelai lifted her head. "Hey, know what I just realized? What's the date?"

Luke thought for a moment. "Uh. . .November first."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah. So it's our two-month wedding anniversary."

Luke nodded. "Huh, so it is." He kissed her. "Happy anniversary."

Lorelai smiled. "You, too." She rested her head against his chest and let out a content sigh. 

They lay quietly for a moment, then Luke kissed the top of her head. "Hey?"

She craned her neck to look up at him. "Yeah?"

"I wasn't just saying it." A smirk slowly appeared on his lips. "They really _are _spectacular."

Lorelai smiled and kissed him, then leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes. 

* * *

The next afternoon, Lorelai walked into the house carrying a bag from the market. She waved to Luke, who was sitting on the couch talking on the phone, then walked to the kitchen. She glanced into Rory's bedroom where Rory and Lane were sitting on the bed doing homework. 

"I'm home," Lorelai announced, and they both looked up.

"Hey," Rory replied.

"Get anything good?" Lane asked.

"Yup." Lorelai pulled a container of Pringles out of the bag and tossed it to them. "Knock yourselves out."

They thanked her and she walked over to set the bag on the kitchen table. While she was unloading the groceries, Luke walked into the room. "Hey," she greeted him.

"Hey." He walked over and kissed her. 

"Who were you talking to?"

Luke pulled a box of macaroni and cheese out of the bag and walked it over to the cabinet. "Oh, Bert."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes with confusion. "Your toolbox?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "The guy who hit the truck."

Lorelai slapped her forehead. "Right, Bert. I forgot his name. What were you talking about?"

"He called to see how I was doing," Luke replied. "And he wanted to make sure we were still gonna handle this ourselves and not through the courts." 

"He's worried that you might change your mind?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know, I guess so. He knows it was his fault, he knows there are witnesses who _saw_ that it was his fault, and he knows that I'd win if I sued him. Oh, and he also thinks that you're a lawyer, so I think that makes him nervous."

Lorelai let out a surprised laugh. "What?"

Luke smirked. "I told you how when we talked at the hospital he admitted it was his fault and offered to pay for what insurance didn't cover, remember?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I didn't believe him at first. I asked him if he was kidding – you know, thinking he was all talk, telling him he shouldn't make a promise he can't keep, but he said he was serious. So I mentioned that he better not screw me over because my wife's a lawyer and would file a lawsuit faster than he could blink."

Lorelai gasped. "No, you didn't."

"Yup. So I think he's a little scared that I'll suddenly just change my mind and decide to sue him."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, poor Bert, all nervous and worried."

"Forget poor Bert. Worry about 'poor Luke's truck'."

Lorelai finished putting the stuff away, then walked over to Luke by the water cooler. "So, I kinda have some news that you probably don't wanna hear."

"What is it?"

"It looks like the construction started today."

"What construction?"

"Taylor's construction," Lorelai said. "On the flower shop."

Luke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Great. Is it a mess around there?"

Lorelai nodded. "Kind of."

"Geez. I'll have to call Caesar and tell him that if it gets to be too crazy to let me know so I can take it up with Taylor."

Lorelai smiled. "One of your favorite pastimes." She ran a hand through his hair and lowered her voice. "You know, I think that later we should do something fun with my fake lawyer status."

He kissed her. "Like what?"

She shrugged as she stroked his neck. "Oh, I don't know, maybe a little role playing. I can be the lawyer and you can be the criminal I'm prosecuting. Only, you know I'll win the case, so you have to persuade me to lose on purpose so you can go free." 

"And just how would I do that?"

"You have to seduce me, silly."

"Ah."

"And you have to get us having sex on videotape because then you're gonna use it to blackmail me by claiming that you'll tell the judge that I was the one who promised _you_ sex in exchange for a guilty plea."

Luke sighed. "Now it's getting way too complicated."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Sorry. I always get carried away in my role playing."

"Yes, you do." 

She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him loosely, careful not to put too much pressure against his sling. He kissed her deeply, and she let out a soft moan of approval as his tongue found its way into her mouth. 

"Okay, could you not make out right where we can see you?" Rory called from her bedroom. "I mean, _I'm_ used to it and all, but I do have a guest in here, you know. And I'm sure Mrs. Kim doesn't want Lane exposed to these kinds of graphic displays of affection."

"If she gets word of this, I might not be able to come over here ever again," Lane added.

Still kissing passionately, Lorelai and Luke took a few steps toward the kitchen table, out of the view of the bedroom door.

"Thank you," Rory called.

* * *

A few nights later, Lorelai and Rory were in the kitchen setting out bowls of snacks for movie night when the doorbell rang. "Oh, that's probably John. I got it." Lorelai walked to the front door and opened it, and sure enough, John was on the porch. "Hey John."

"Hey Lorelai. Is Luke ready?"

"Almost. Come on in." 

"Thanks." John followed Lorelai into the house and into the living room.

"Luke, John's here!" Lorelai called up the steps. 

"Be right down!" Luke called back.

Lorelai turned to John and smiled. "He'll be right down. Though, you probably heard that since you're only a few feet away from me and he said it pretty loudly."

John smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I heard it."

"Have a seat." Lorelai sat down in the armchair and John sat on the couch. "What are you guys up to tonight?"

John shrugged. "Oh, you know, just hanging out, doing typical guy stuff."

"So you're gonna consume lots of alcohol and then pick up a couple of hookers?

"Maybe," John replied. "Though that's what we did last time, so I don't know if Luke will be up for it again."

Lorelai smiled. "A man with a sense of humor, just the way I like 'em."

Luke walked down the stairs and he nodded toward John. "Hey. What's going on?"

John stood up and walked toward him. "Nothing much." He gestured to Luke's sling. "That looks pretty bad, man. Does it hurt?"

"Not as much as it used to," he replied. "I should be getting the sling off this week."

"Good. The sooner you get it off, the sooner you can help me put up my new shed." John checked his watch. "We better go. I told Jeff we'd pick him up at six."

"Okay."

The three of them walked to the door, and as John walked outside, Luke turned to Lorelai. "I don't know what time I'll be back. Probably not too late since the guys both have work tomorrow."

"Okay." Lorelai kissed him. "Have fun. Try to get really drunk so you don't notice the mess that will inevitably be waiting in the living room when you get home." 

"I'll try."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye." 

Lorelai watched Luke walk outside and get into John's car. As they pulled away, she closed the door and walked to the kitchen, rubbing her hands together excitedly. "Okay, let's get started on movie night. I vote for _Blazing Saddles_ first."

Rory gasped. "You totally read my mind. That's what I was gonna suggest."

Lorelai tapped herself on the head. "Yes, see, I knew that, 'cause Mommy's psychic." She picked up some snack bowls from the table and walked toward the living room. 

"Oh yeah?" Rory grabbed the rest and followed her. 

Lorelai glanced over her shoulder at Rory. "Yes, Mommy knows all and Mommy sees all." As she turned to face forward, she tripped over her purse on the floor and stumbled into the desk chair, spilling marshmallows and cookies all over the desk. "Dammit."

Rory giggled. "Did Mommy see _that_ coming?"

Lorelai gave her a look and muttered, "Mommy sees someone getting sent to her room."

Rory helped Lorelai clean up the mess, then they put the movie on and situated themselves on the couch under some blankets. 

"So where did Luke go?" Rory asked. 

"I'm not sure. I know they're getting dinner, but I'm not sure what they're doing after that."

"It's good that he's getting out of the house," Rory commented. 

"Yeah, maybe this'll help loosen him up a little. I think he was getting cabin fever." Lorelai smiled. "Plus, it'll be nice for us to have a girls-only movie night."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, we haven't had one in awhile. It'll be fun." She paused, then added, "Not that coed movie nights aren't fun, because you know I like having Luke around."

"I know."

"I just meant, you know, that it'll be nice to have some mother/daughter time."

"Yeah, I know what you meant. You can never have too much mother/daughter time."

"Exactly."

Lorelai smiled and moved closer to Rory, and they settled in to watch the movie.

* * *

A week later, on Wednesday afternoon, Lorelai and Sookie were driving from the inn to the diner for lunch. Lorelai was telling Sookie about Luke's doctor appointment the day before. "So the doctor told him he doesn't have to wear the sling anymore."

"Ooh, I bet he was thrilled to hear that."

"Yeah, definitely. He was so sick of that thing. He still can't use his arm for much of anything though, like lifting things or driving. We had to meet with this physical therapist who gave Luke some strengthening exercises to do at home. And this guy, I swear, if he was not in the medical industry, he could be an underwear model."

Sookie giggled. "He was a cutie, huh?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "And then afterward when we were walking out, Luke was like, 'God, I'm surprised you didn't just ask him for his number right in front of me.'"

Sookie laughed. "Guess you were staring a little too hard."

Lorelai shrugged. "Guess so. But I made it up to him when we got home." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. She parked the Jeep along the curb and the two of them started walking toward the diner. 

"I can't believe that Thanksgiving is in two weeks," Sookie said. "Did I tell you that I'm letting Jackson cook the turkey this year?"

Lorelai gasped. "Wow, you gave up the rights to your kitchen on the biggest cooking holiday of the year? I'm shocked."

"I know, I think I'm still in shock myself. I can't believe I did that. Maybe he'll relinquish the rights back to me."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll do fine."

Sookie sighed. "I know, I know."

"And I'm sure you'll be right there supervising him anyway, so you'll still be involved."

"That's true." Sookie took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm not gonna think about it anymore."

"Good girl." Lorelai put her arm around Sookie. "Wow, Thanksgiving already. This year went by so fast, huh?"

"_Too_ fast. But it was a good year."

Lorelai smiled. "It was a _great_ year. I can't believe that this time last year, Luke and I weren't even _together_, and now. . ." She glanced down at her wedding ring and sighed happily. "I can't believe we started dating, moved in together, got engaged and got married all in the same year. Hell, not even a whole year, more like a seven-month period. Things moved pretty fast." 

"Yeah, but you were both _ready_ for things to move that fast."

Lorelai smiled. "Very true."

They walked into the diner and sat down at a table. As they were looking at the menus, Sookie glanced at the counter and saw Luke walk out from the kitchen. "Uh, did you know that Luke was gonna be here?"

Lorelai looked up from her menu. "What?" She followed Sookie's gaze and saw Luke refilling the coffee of a customer at the counter. "Huh."

"Has he been to work since the accident?"

"Well, he's come in a few times to check on things and to help with the inventory stuff, but he hasn't actually served people or cooked or anything." Lorelai stood up and called, "Hon?"

Luke looked up, then nodded toward her. "Hey. Just a second." 

Lorelai sat back down, and when Luke finished up at the counter, he walked over to their table. "Hey." 

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Lorelai asked.

"Helping out. I couldn't sit at home anymore, I was going nuts."

"Are you sure you're ready to be back here working already though? You just got the sling off. I mean, you can't even really use that arm much yet."

"I know, but I have another arm that's being wasted by me sitting at home all day. I can pour coffee and cook some of the easier things and deliver plates."

Lorelai was still doubtful. "But – "

"It's fine. I'm all right," he insisted. "If I didn't think it was all right, I wouldn't be here."

Lorelai chewed on her bottom lip momentarily. "Just promise me that if you get too tired or if your arm starts to hurt too much, you'll go home. You still need to rest, remember? The physical therapist said it yesterday."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm surprised you could hear anything he said over your heavy panting."

Sookie giggled. "Man, I have to see this cute doctor."

Lorelai smirked and smacked Luke playfully on the stomach. "Just promise me."

"Promise." Luke leaned down and kissed her. "You guys know what you want?" Lorelai and Sookie ordered their food, and Luke walked back to the kitchen. 

"So, I got my side of the bed back last night," Lorelai announced.

"Oh yeah? How was it?"

Lorelai shrugged. "It was okay. I think he might be mad at me for abandoning him." She scoffed. "But I was only gone for two and half weeks, and I was only two feet away, so I don't know what his problem is. It's not like I was using _another_ bed. I was using the other side of him. He's too sensitive."

"Your bed's a 'he'?" Sookie asked.

"Of course."

"Does Luke know it's a he?"

"No." Lorelai gave a quick glance toward the counter, then lowered her voice. "And don't tell him. He might feel a little weird about it. You know, his masculinity might feel threatened." 

"My lips are sealed," Sookie promised.

* * *

On Friday night, Lorelai, Rory and Luke walked up to Emily and Richard's house, and Rory rang the doorbell. The door opened and the maid invited them inside and took their coats. 

As Rory followed the maid to the living room, Luke took Lorelai's arm and held her back. "Hey, wait a second."

"What? Something wrong?"

"No, but. . .are _you_ okay?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good, but you just seem. . .quiet tonight," he said. "I mean, you didn't say much when you got home from work or on the drive here."

"I'm okay, really." 

"You're sure?"

"Yup. What about you? You haven't been here in a long time. Are you ready for a month's worth of questions about the diner, the accident, your arm, your sexy new haircut, et cetera, et cetera."

Luke shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay, let's go." Lorelai kissed him, then took his hand and led him to the living room. Richard and Emily were seated on a sofa each holding a drink, and Rory had sat down in an armchair. The three of them were already talking, and Lorelai cleared her throat. "Hey Mom, hey Dad."

They both looked up and smiled. "Ah, here they are," Richard announced. 

"Come in, sit down," Emily insisted, gesturing to the empty sofa. 

Luke and Lorelai sat down, and Richard gestured to the coffee table where two glasses sat on coasters. "I already poured some wine for you."

"Thanks," Luke replied. 

"Oh, yeah, um, that was nice." Lorelai stared at the wine hesitantly for a moment. "But, um. . .I just. . .I think I'm gonna get some club soda instead. You know, since I'm the designated driver tonight." She walked toward the drink cart.

"But aren't you the driver every week?" Emily asked with a confused look.

"Yes, but, uh, this week I have _two_ people in the car, so I have to be extra careful." 

Emily shook her head slightly. "I'm not going to try to understand you." She turned to Luke. "Luke, we were so sorry to hear about your little accident."

"Yes, very sorry," Richard added. "Lorelai says you dislocated your shoulder?"

"That's right." Luke gestured to his left arm. "I just got the sling off a few days ago."

"Have you returned to work?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, but I still can't use the arm much, so it's pretty limited what I can do there," Luke said. 

"Does it hurt much?" Richard asked.

Luke shrugged. "Sometimes, like when I try to do something I'm not supposed to do yet. Like lift something that's too heavy or reach out too far."

Lorelai returned to the couch with her drink. "Or like when he gets mad and tries to slap me around. He can't use as much force with his left hand as he used to."

Emily rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you think that abusive relationships are something to joke about, Lorelai."

"Yes, what kind of example are you setting for Rory joking about a matter like that?" Richard asked.

Lorelai sighed and turned to Rory. "Honey, if you ever find yourself in an abusive relationship, please seek help immediately." 

Rory nodded. "Got it." 

Lorelai smiled at her parents. "Better?"

Richard ignored her and turned back to Luke. "So, Luke, how's the truck? It was relatively new, was it not?"

"Yeah, it was only a few months old. The passenger side was in pretty bad shape," Luke said. "It's gonna take a few more weeks to get it fixed up."

"But he can't drive for awhile anyway, so it works out," Lorelai added.

"And what about the other driver?" Emily asked. "There was another driver, wasn't there?"

"No, believe it or not, the other car was moving by itself," Lorelai said. "Kinda like the car on _Knight Rider._"

Emily rolled her eyes. "He could've hit a _parked_ car, Lorelai."

"Yes, or some other inanimate object, like a pole or a house, and thus there would be no other driver," Richard added.

"A house? You think Luke's that bad of a driver that he could crash into a house?" Lorelai asked, amused.

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe some of the things I saw when I was working at my old company," Richard says. "People crashing into houses are more common than you'd think."

Luke cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, there was another driver. He's all right, just a broken arm and a sprained knee."

"It was completely the other guy's fault," Lorelai added. "He crashed into Luke."

"Oh, well, I hope you're making him pay," Richard commented. 

"Yes, we are," Lorelai replied. "Everything's taken care of."

"Good. Well, if you need any help, I'd be happy to offer some advice," Richard said.

Luke nodded. "I appreciate the offer. Thanks."

The four of them talked for a few more minutes, then moved to the dining room for dinner.

* * *

That night on the way home, Lorelai and Luke dropped Rory off at Dean's house. They both watched her until she walked into the house, then Luke turned to face forward, expecting Lorelai to pull away. 

When she didn't, he turned to her. "What are you waitin' for?"

Lorelai turned off the engine, then turned her body to face him. "Listen. . .um. . .I need to talk to you."

Luke narrowed his eyes with concern. "What's wrong?"

Lorelai smiled and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong."

"Then what is it?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Um. . .I'm late."

"Late for what?" Luke glanced at his watch. "Do you have plans tonight? You didn't mention – "

"No, Luke," she interrupted. "Late, as in. . .you know. . .a _woman's_ kind of late."

Luke's eyes widened as he caught on. "Oh. That. . .kind of late."

"Yeah. So that could mean. . ." Her voice trailed off and she smiled. "Well, you know what it could mean."

Luke stared at her for several seconds, then muttered, "Wow." He shook his head slightly. "I don't know what to say. Just. . .wow. Are you sure?"

Lorelai smiled. "Am I sure that I'm late? What, like, you think maybe it came and I missed it?"

Luke shrugged. "Well, I don't know. I don't know what to ask when you say you're late."

"Yes, I'm sure."

Luke took a deep breath. "Okay. . .well. . .how late are you? Like, really late?"

"Two days."

"Is that. . .really late? I don't know how all that. . ." He gestured aimlessly toward her. ". . .stuff works."

"Well, it's late enough," Lorelai told him. "I was supposed to get it Wednesday and it didn't come, but I didn't think _too_ much of it because I've been a day late before. It happens. So I figured it would come yesterday, but then yesterday passed and it didn't come. And I didn't wanna get my hopes up too much, but when it didn't come today either. . ." She took a deep breath and smiled at him. "It made me think that. . .this could be it."

Luke glanced down at her stomach, then smiled at her. "Wow."

"Yeah."

"No one else knows?"

"No. And I was gonna tell you sooner, but I didn't wanna get your hopes up if it turned out to be nothing. I told myself to wait and see if it came today and if it didn't, then I would tell you. So now I'm telling you."

Luke leaned back against his seat. "Wow." 

"And I was gonna tell you before we went to my parents' house, but I didn't know if that would make you all nervous and weird during dinner. And I didn't want you to be uncomfortable since it was your first time there in awhile."

"Right. . .makes sense." He thought for a few seconds. "So that's why you didn't drink tonight?"

Lorelai nodded. "Just in case."

"I was wondering about that." He rolled his eyes and added, "Though the designated driver story was very convincing." 

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you." 

Luke glanced out the window and saw a little girl peeking out at them from the front door of the house. "Uh, Dean's sister thinks we're stalkers. We should go."

Lorelai started the Jeep and pulled away from the curb. "So, um, listen. . .I'm gonna go buy a pregnancy test, so if you want, I'll drop you off at home first and – "

"No, I'll come with you," he interrupted. 

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

They drove ten minutes to Yalesville and pulled into the parking lot of the pharmacy. They both walked inside, and Luke stood uncomfortably nearby while Lorelai perused the selection of tests. She finally picked one out and bought it, and they walked back out to the car.

Lorelai pulled the box out of the bag and started to open it. Luke's eyes widened. "What are you doing? You're not. . .are you gonna take it now?" Luke stared at her, confused. "Don't you need a bathroom?"

Lorelai smiled and rolled her eyes. "I just wanna check something." She pulled the instructions out of the box. "Last time, I remember reading that you're supposed to . . ." Her voice trailed off as she read through the instructions. She nodded and muttered, "Right, that's what I thought." 

"What?"

She folded the instructions and stuck them back in the box. "It says that if you're only a few days late, the early morning is the best time to take the test. That's when you'll get the most accurate results." She stuck the test back into the bag and put it on the dashboard. 

"So. . .you'll do it tomorrow morning, then," Luke deduced.

Lorelai nodded. "Tomorrow morning."

* * *

At six a.m. the next morning, Lorelai lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, anxiously fingering the fringe on the warm blanket that covered her. She'd been up for awhile, as her many attempts to fall back asleep had failed. She was antsy. She was ready to take the test. She needed to know.

She glanced at Luke, who was lying on his side with his back to her. She'd fought the urge to wake him up for the thirty or so minutes she'd been awake, but she finally had to give in to her impatience. 

She sat up and rubbed his back. "Luke. . .hon. . .wake up."

"I am up," he muttered as he rolled onto his back. "I've been up for a little while."

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

Luke yawned. "'Cause I thought you were sleeping."

"Well, I wasn't. I've been waiting for you to wake up." Lorelai pushed the covers off of her. "I'm ready to do it, I can't wait anymore." She climbed out of bed and grabbed the pharmacy bag from her vanity. "Let's go."

Luke sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Go ahead. I'll wait here."

Lorelai frowned. "Come with me."

"I'm not watching you go to the bathroom."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You've seen it before."

Luke gestured aimlessly as he explained, "Yeah, but this time, with the stick and everything. . .it's just. . ." He shook his head. "No, thanks. I don't need to see the whole process."

Lorelai sighed. "Well, at least come wait by the door."

Luke climbed out of the bed and followed her into the darkened hallway. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. She started to shut the door, then walked back out and hugged Luke tightly. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

She kissed him, then pulled back with a grimace. "Okay, I think we should brush our teeth first so that if it is positive, we don't have this gross morning breath interrupting our celebratory kisses." 

Luke rolled his eyes as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bathroom. He didn't bother arguing with her. Instead, the two of them stood side by side at the sink and brushed their teeth. 

When they were finished, she kissed him again, then smiled. "Much better." 

"Okay, good." Luke gestured to the door. "I'll be right out there."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

Luke walked into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind him. He leaned against the wall right outside the door. The rest of the house was silent, allowing him to hear exactly what was going on inside the bathroom. The sound of Lorelai taking the box out of the bag. The sound of her opening the box and pulling out the contents. The sound of the empty box landing in the garbage can. The sound of her unwrapping the stick. 

"Here I go," Lorelai said from inside the bathroom. 

The unmistakable sound that followed was what made Luke finally grasp that what happened in the next minute could have life-changing effects. He folded his arms across his chest and nervously shifted his feet. A moment later, he heard the sound of running water, presumably of Lorelai washing her hands. 

Then there was silence. 

To Luke, it felt like an hour, but was probably only half a minute or so. He started grinding his teeth and tapping his foot impatiently.

Then the door opened, and the light from the bathroom flooded the hallway. Luke squinted slightly as his eyes adjusted to the light, and Lorelai stepped into the doorway. Luke was unable to interpret the expression on her face.

Luke took an anxious step toward her. "Well?" 

She was holding the pregnancy test stick in her hand, and she held it out toward him. 

Luke glanced at it briefly, then shrugged toward her. "I don't know how to read that thing. What does it say?"

Lorelai stared down at it for a moment, then brought her gaze up to meet his. Luke noticed tears forming in her eyes – though whether they were tears of joy or disappointment, he couldn't tell. 

"Well, it says that. . ." Lorelai took a deep breath, then a smile slowly formed on her lips. "You're gonna be a dad."

* * *

To be continued. . .

I finished up that chapter a lot sooner than I thought I would. Is anyone still reading? Let me know. 

Please. 

Pretty Please. :) 


	10. Part 10

"It's Still There – part 10"

* * *

Luke's eyes slowly widened. He stared at Lorelai silently for several seconds as he processed the information.

Finally, he started gesturing aimlessly as he stammered, "I'm gonna be. . .uh, you're. . .I mean, we're gonna have a. . ." He paused and swallowed hard. "Really?" 

With her tears now trickling down her cheeks, Lorelai smiled and nodded. "It's positive." 

He smiled and shook his head slightly. "Wow. That's. . ." He rubbed his forehead and shifted his feet. "Wow."

Lorelai giggled excitedly and wrapped her arms around his neck. She gave him several short kisses before she rested her head against his shoulder and hugged him tightly. "I can't believe it." When she stepped back from him, she pulled up her pajama top halfway. "A person that _we_ _made_ is in there, Luke. It's only like the size of a pea, but still. . .it's in there." 

He nodded and ran his hand over her stomach. "Yeah."

Lorelai covered his hand with hers and squeezed it. "You're happy about it, right?" 

He narrowed his eyes with surprise. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes guys say they want this to happen and then when it does, they decide it's too much to handle and they get scared and run off with their secretaries to Mexico."

"Well, lucky for you I don't have a secretary." He smiled and pulled her closer. "I'm _very_ happy. The word _thrilled_ could even be used."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good." She draped her arms over his shoulders. "We're gonna have a baby, Luke." Goosebumps covered her skin as the words left her mouth.

The words similarly sent a chill through Luke's body. "We're gonna. . . have a baby." He took a deep breath. "Wow, that sounds weird."

Lorelai shook her head. "It sounds amazing." 

"_You're_ amazing." He cradled her face in his hands and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "And beautiful." He kissed her softly, muttering "And I love you so much." 

"I love you, too," she whispered through the kiss. 

When they finally broke apart, they stared at each other for a few seconds before Luke rubbed her arms and asked, "So. . .what now?" 

"I think we just stand here for nine months and watch my stomach expand," she replied. "Then one day a little head'll just pop out down there and bam – we've got ourselves a kid."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Just give me a basic guideline for where it goes from here."

"A basic guideline, huh? Well, I can give you one for the next few days. Let's see." Lorelai ticked things off on her fingers. "First we go tell Rory. Then I'm gonna take a shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Then hopefully by that time it'll be a semi-decent hour and I can go see Sookie and tell _her_. Then on Monday, I'll make a doctor's appointment, and we'll just take things from there." 

"Are we gonna tell other people right away? I mean, besides Rory and Sookie."

"I don't know. Do you want to?"

Luke shrugged. "They don't all have to know right now. I'd rather give it some time to sink in with us before the whole town knows."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "We'll ask Rory and Sookie to keep it quiet." She grinned. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna go wake up Rory and tell her. You wanna come?"

Luke waved her off. "Nah, I think you should do it."

"Okay." She held up the pregnancy test stick that she was still clutching in her hand. "Here – take this. If you need me, I'll be jumping up and down like an idiot on Rory's bed celebrating my newfound impregnation."

"You don't wanna show _her_ the stick? It'll make a very reliable visual aid."

"Ooh, good point." She kissed him, then stared at him for a moment before releasing a content sigh. "Thank you."

"For what – impregnating you?" he asked with a smirk.

Lorelai smiled. "That, yeah. And, you know, just. . .for being you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and spoke in practically a whisper. "For being everything I could want in a husband." She kissed him. "And for being everything I could ever want the father of my child to be." Her lower lip trembled and she blinked her tears away. "You make me so happy."

"Ditto." They hugged, then Luke pulled back and gently squeezed her arms. "Go tell Rory." 

She smiled and kissed him. "Okay." She rushed past him and ran down the steps. 

She ran down the hall to Rory's bedroom and knocked a few times on the door before pushing it open. Rory lay asleep in bed with her back to Lorelai. 

Lorelai walked into the room and turned on the light. "Rory, wake up." She walked over to the bed and tapped Rory on the back. "Honey, get up."

Rory pulled the covers up tighter around her and muttered, "What time is it?"

Lorelai glanced at the clock. "6:18."

Rory groaned loudly into her pillow. "You better have a darn good reason for waking me up this early on a Saturday."

"What constitutes a 'darn good reason'?"

Rory let out a long yawn before mumbling, "A fire, a death, or a severe illness that requires going to the emergency room."

Lorelai leaned over Rory's body. "What about if your mother takes a pregnancy test and wants to immediately share the exciting results with you?"

There was silence as both girls were completely still. 

Finally, after processing the words, Rory slowly rolled over onto her back and stared up at Lorelai with wide eyes. "What'd you say?"

Lorelai kneeled on the bed next to Rory and proudly held out the stick. "Two lines means yes, one line means no."

Rory quickly sat up in bed and eyed the two pink lines on the stick. "Two lines means. . ." Her voice trailed off and she smiled. "You're pregnant?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh my God!" Rory squealed as she pulled Lorelai down into a hug. "This is so great!" Lorelai giggled as she fell on top of Rory, who then almost fell off the side of the bed. "Ah, whoa!" 

They sat back up, both grinning widely. "Mom, this is so exciting!" Rory squeezed Lorelai's hand. "Oh my God, I'm so happy for you. I know how much you wanted this to happen. What did Luke say? He does know, doesn't it?" 

"No, I figured I should tell the baby's father first," Lorelai replied. "What's Headmaster Charleston's number?"

Rory shuddered and made a disgusted face. "Oh my God, that's one of the grossest images you've ever put into my head." 

"Sorry. Won't happen again."

"Good. So, really, what'd Luke say?"

Lorelai smiled. "He's happy. Very happy. He even used the word _thrilled_."

Rory grinned. "Aww, that's so cute." She took a deep breath and stared down at her blanket. "Oh my God. A baby. This is so. . .wow. I mean, I knew it would probably be happening soon because I knew you were trying, but it's still. . .wow. I'm still digesting it."

"I know. Me, too." Lorelai smiled and hugged her stomach tightly. "I still can't believe it." 

Rory's eyes widened. "I should probably learn how to change a diaper and other stuff like that. I mean, you might need me to babysit and I won't know how to do anything. I should sign up for a babysitting class at the community center as soon as I can. I'll look into it today."

Lorelai smiled and patted her on the leg. "You have plenty of time to learn how to change a diaper, hon. And if you learn it now, you might forget by the time the baby gets here."

"Speaking of which, when will you find out when it's due?"

"I'll call the doctor on Monday and make an appointment," Lorelai said. "But by rough estimation, I'd say it'll probably come in the middle of summer." 

"So I'll probably be able to spend some time with it before I leave for school," Rory remarked. "That'll be good."

"Yeah, that'll work out nice." Lorelai tapped the pregnancy stick against her palm, then realized what she was doing and made a face. "Okay, I should probably stop carrying around this thing I peed on."

Rory made a similarly disgusted face. "Ew, gross. Go throw it away. And make sure you scrub your hands."

Lorelai stared down at the stick and smiled to herself. "Is it weird that I wanna take a picture of these two lines?"

"Yes, but not weirder than wanting to save the stick itself, which is so something you would do."

"The thought crossed my mind." Lorelai climbed off the bed. "I'm gonna go shower and get dressed and eat breakfast, then I'm gonna go tell Sookie. Wanna come with me?"

Rory yawned, then nodded. "Sure."

"Okay." They smiled at each other for a moment, then both squealed excitedly and hugged again. 

* * *

A few minutes later, Lorelai walked back upstairs to the bedroom and found Luke lying on the bed. Lorelai walked over and lay down next to him, and they both stared up at the ceiling. 

"What'd Rory say?" he asked.

Lorelai grinned. "She's so excited. Enough to forgive me for waking her up so early."

"Well, that's good." He was quiet for a moment as Lorelai stroked his arm. "I didn't think it would feel like this."

"Well, what did you expect?"

"I don't know. I guess I thought you'd say something like, 'Hey, we're having a baby' and I'd say 'Okay' and we'd hug, and then I'd go on with my normal routine. I didn't think it'd be so. . ." His voice trailed off and gestured circles with his hands. "I don't know. I'm just lying here thinkin' about it and. . . I mean, this is big."

"Very big," she agreed.

"And I'm. . .I don't know. . .my heart's racing." He gave an embarrassed shrug. "I'm just more excited about it than I thought I would be."

Lorelai smiled. "Good. Better that than the other way around."

"True." He kissed her, then reached down and rested his hand on her stomach. She covered his hand with hers and squeezed it gently. 

They lay silently for a moment, then Lorelai asked, "So I'm not gonna come across any plane tickets to Mexico anytime soon, right?"

Luke smiled. "If you do, they're not mine."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Lorelai was in the shower and Luke was getting dressed in the bedroom. When he was finished, he walked downstairs to start breakfast and found Rory in the kitchen making some coffee. "Morning," he greeted her.

Rory looked over and smiled. "Luke!" She walked over and threw her arms around his neck, surprising him with a tight hug. "Congratulations!"

Luke smiled shyly as he hugged her back. "Thanks." 

Rory pulled back and tapped him excitedly on the arm. "It's so great! I'm so excited! Are you excited?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, of course I am."

Rory grinned. "Mom's so excited, too. She looked so happy. She really wanted this to happen."

Luke smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know she did. We both did."

Rory walked back to the counter to finish up the coffee. "I still can't believe it. This is such big news."

"Yeah, it is." Luke walked over to the refrigerator. "Did your mom tell you that we're not telling anyone yet?" He pulled out the container of eggs. "I mean, besides Sookie."

"No. How come?"

Luke shrugged as he walked over to the counter. "We just wanna wait, that's all. Not too long, but a little while."

Rory nodded understandably. "Okay. I won't say anything." 

"Thanks." He pulled out a pan to start the eggs, and was surprised when Rory walked over and hugged him again. "Whoa, okay, more hugging." He brought his arm up and patted her on the back.

Rory stepped back and smiled. "I'm just so excited for you guys!"

Luke smiled and nodded. "Thanks." He pondered a moment, then said, "Everyone's gonna do that when they find out, aren't they? I mean, the hugging thing. . ."

Rory nodded. "Probably." Luke sighed, and Rory gave him a sympathetic tap on the shoulder. "It'll be okay."

* * *

An hour later, Lorelai parked the Jeep along the street by the gazebo, and she, Luke, and Rory climbed out. Luke headed toward the diner, and Lorelai and Rory walked toward Sookie's house. 

Lorelai shoved her hands into her pockets. "Man, it's cold out today."

"Well, it is mid-November," Rory reminded her. "We're getting into the wintry weather."

"This weekend'll be a good time to get out the winter clothes. I can't wait to get into all those cute sweaters."

"You mean the cute sweaters that'll be hanging in my closet in a few months when they don't fit you anymore?" Rory teased.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Aw, man. I hope they make cute winter maternity clothes."

"Well, if they don't, maybe you can make your own. You do know how to sew."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, in between the morning sickness and the mood swings, I'll start my own clothing line." She glanced around, then put her arm around Rory's shoulder and lowered her voice. "You know, we shouldn't talk about this outside. Someone might overhear us."

Rory's eyes widened and she quickly glanced around. "Oh, right, sorry. I'll try to ix-nay mentioning the egrancy-pray when we're outside-hay." 

Lorelai smiled. "Wow, is there a Pig Latin class at Chilton? 'Cause you're getting goooood."

They walked up the walkway to Sookie's house and into the screened-in front porch. Lorelai knocked on the door, and eventually Sookie answered, understandably surprised to see them. "Hey guys. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Can we come in?" Lorelai asked. "It's kinda cold out here."

"Oh, sure, yeah." Sookie opened the door wider and they walked into the house. She closed the door, then turned to them. "What's up? You're up early on a Saturday. Are you going to the inn?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No. Listen, we're gonna play a little game."

"A game?" Sookie asked. "That's why you're here at 7:40 on Saturday morning?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, well, I have to be at the inn by eight."

"Don't worry, it won't take long," Lorelai assured her. "It's actually not so much a game as it is word play."

Sookie glanced questioningly at Rory, who shrugged. "Just play along."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, so, this is all you have to do – you ask me if I want a nice cold beer, and then I'll respond."

"That's the game?" Sookie asked. "Er, I mean, word play?"

"Yup."

"It doesn't sound like it's much fun," she remarked, shaking her head.

Lorelai grinned and nodded. "Trust me, it'll be fun. Go on, ask me."

Sookie shrugged and folded her arms across her chest. "Uh, do you want a nice cold beer?"

Lorelai gasped. "Sookie, you're not supposed to give pregnant women alcohol!"

Sookie scoffed. "But you're the one who just told me to. . ." Her voice trailed off as she realized what Lorelai had said, and her eyes slowly widened. "Wait - what?"

Lorelai patted Rory on the back. "Honey, tell Auntie Sookie what Mommy just said."

Rory smiled. "Mom's pregnant." 

Sookie gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "No!"

Rory nodded. "Yes."

"No!"

Rory shrugged and glanced at Lorelai. "Mom, maybe she'll believe you if you say it."

Lorelai smiled. "It finally happened, Sookie. I took a pregnancy test this morning."

Sookie gasped and started waving her hands excitedly in front of her. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" She grabbed onto Lorelai's arms and the two of them started jumping up and down, squealing loudly. After a moment, Lorelai reached for Rory's arm and she joined in on the celebration.

"What's going on?" a voice asked. The three of them settled down and glanced toward the hallway where Jackson was standing. "Wait, let me guess – Lorelai finally figured out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootise Roll Pop and she rushed over here to tell us."

"No, but you're close," Lorelai said.

Rory narrowed her eyes. "How is he close?"

"Well, because there's a Tootsie Roll in the center of the lollipop, right? So if we pretend that my stomach is a lollipop and that the baby is the Tootsie Roll, it's sort of a similar analogy-type thing."

Rory gave her an impressed nod. "Nice connection."

"Wait, did you say baby?" Jackson asked.

Sookie giggled and clasped her hands together. "Lorelai's pregnant!"   


Jackson's mouth dropped open with surprise, then he smiled. "Wow, that's great. Congratulations." He walked over and hugged her.

"Thanks, Jackson."

He took a step back. "How'd Luke take it?"

"Ooh, yeah, what did he say?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, God, he's so excited. First he got all wide-eyed like he couldn't believe it, and then he got this cute little proud-father-to-be smile."

"Aww, that's so adorable!" Sookie gushed. She nudged Rory. "And what about you, girlie? You excited to be a big sister?"

Rory smiled and nodded. "Definitely. I'm really excited about it."

"Wait, did you have any symptoms?" Sookie asked. "What made you take the test?"

"Well, I was two days late," Lorelai started.

Jackson started walking backwards. "Okay, this is going to a weird place, so I think I'm gonna go. . .uh, see about that thing in the. . .yeah." He turned around and quickly walked to the kitchen.

Sookie rolled her eyes and waved him off, then turned back to Lorelai. "Go on."

"I was two days late so we bought a test last night, and then took it this morning and it was positive," Lorelai said. 

Sookie giggled excitedly and hugged Lorelai. "Aw, this is so great. I'm so happy for you, honey." 

"Thank you." She pulled back. "Listen, we kinda wanna keep it quiet for a little while. Not too long, just a week or two so we can get used to it before everyone starts talking about it. Think you can handle it?"

Sookie nodded. "I'll try."

Lorelai bit on her bottom lip. "Sookie. . ."

"Really hard," she added. "I'll try really hard, I promise."

"Thank you." 

* * *

On Monday morning, Luke was wiping down the counter at the diner when the phone rang behind him. He draped his dishtowel over his shoulder and walked over to answer it. "Luke's"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong number. Is this 1-900-Touch-Me, Stars Hollow's one and only phone sex hotline?"

Luke smirked. "As a matter of fact, it is. What are you wearing?"

"Nothin' but a smile," Lorelai replied. "And for some reason, the guests keep giving me strange looks."

"Can't imagine why."

"Me either. Do other inns not have beautiful naked women standing at the front desks?"

"Guess not."

"Ah well. I strive to be different." 

"So what's up? Did you call the doctor?"

"Yup. They didn't have any appointments 'til Wednesday, so that's when I made it for. Wednesday at 4:45."

"Wednesday at 4:45." He made a note on the back of his order pad. "Okay."

"Yeah, and I just got done telling Sookie about it and she invited us over for dinner afterwards."

"After the appointment?"

"Yeah. 'Cause I told her I'd stop by after and tell her how it went, so she said she'd make dinner and we could stay and eat over."

"That was nice." Luke glanced around and lowered his voice. "So. . .how ya feelin'? Still nauseous?"

"Yeah, a little bit. I haven't hit the throwing up stage yet though." 

"Well, that's good, I guess."

"Yeah. Okay, I should probably go put some clothes on."

Luke smiled. "Okay. See ya tonight."

"Bye."

* * *

On Wednesday afternoon, Lorelai and Luke were sitting in the otherwise-empty doctor's office waiting room. Lorelai was flipping through a magazine while Luke sat quietly next to her, tapping his hands on his knees.

Lorelai set the magazine back on the table next to her, then rubbed his arm. "Hey. . .you okay?" 

Luke nodded quickly. "Yeah. Sure. Fine."

Lorelai patted him on the thigh. "Just relax. I'm the one who's gonna be examined, I'm the one who's gonna have to pee in a cup. All you have to do is stand there. There's nothing to be nervous about."

"I'm not nervous. I'm just. . ." Luke shrugged. "I don't know. . . I'm anxious. And tired of waiting." He checked his watch. "It's past five and the appointment was for 4:45. If they can't keep the appointment time, they shouldn't make the appointment to begin with. It's like making reservations at a restaurant and then getting there and having to wait for your table. What was the point of making the reservation to begin with if you're gonna have to wait anyway?" 

Lorelai ran her hand over his leg. "Okay, I don't have an explanation for the whole dinner reservation part of your little rant there, but it's a well-known fact that you always have to wait when you go to the doctor." She gestured around the room. "When they go to all the trouble to build a room specifically called the _waiting_ _room, _you have to expect that there's gonna be waiting. They wanna get good use out of the room." 

"Uh huh."

"And just a small reminder – we're gonna have a lot of doctor's appointments over the next nine months, so you better get used to the whole waiting thing."

Luke sighed and put his arm around her. A few minutes later, the nurse opened the waiting room door. "Lorelai, the doctor will see you now."

Lorelai and Luke glanced at each other, then stood up and followed the nurse down the hallway. 

* * *

They spent some time talking with the doctor, and then Lorelai underwent her physical examination and had some tests done. The pregnancy was confirmed, and the doctor congratulated them. "So let's figure out the due date, shall we," Doctor Palmer said. "You said you have a regular cycle, correct?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, good. Can you recall the first day of your last menstrual period?"

"Um. . ." Lorelai glanced at Luke and thought for a moment. "It was the Thursday after your birthday, so that was. . .October 17th. " She glanced back at the doctor. "Yes, October 17th."

"Okay, let's see." Doctor Palmer flipped to the calendar on her clipboard. "That would make your expected due date. . .July 24th."

"July 24th." Lorelai smiled and reached for Luke's hand. "Sounds like a good date."

"Yup," Luke agreed. "Good date."

"So right now the baby's 4 weeks and 6 days old," the doctor told them. "Would you like to try to pinpoint the date of conception? Some couples like to know exactly when it happened."

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, yeah, that'd be cool."

"Okay, well, conception occurs approximately 14 days after the first day of your last menstrual period, so that would put the probable conception date on or around. . ." She glanced down at her calendar. "October 31st."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Well, I know we didn't do it on Halloween." She thought for a moment. "Ooh, but we did do it the next night. Actually, that was the only time we did it that week."

"Well, that's it, then," the doctor said.

Lorelai smiled and squeezed Luke's hand. "Aw, Luke, we conceived on our wedding anniversary. How cute is that?" She turned to the doctor. "Isn't that cute?"

She smiled and nodded. "That's nice. You said you were just married in September, right?"

"Yup, September first," Lorelai replied. "November first was our 2-month anniversary."

"Wait, that was only two weeks ago," Luke piped up. "But you said the baby's four weeks old. How is that possible?"

"Very good question, and one that a lot of people have," the doctor commented. "It's because you count down the weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period, not from the date of conception. What this means is that women are technically about two weeks pregnant the day they conceive."

Luke nodded. "Ah. Learn something new everyday."

Doctor Palmer set her clipboard down. "Okay, well, there are a few more things I want to look over and discuss with you, and then you two can get outta here."

* * *

That night, Lorelai and Luke arrived at Sookie and Jackson's house around 6:30. They knocked, and Jackson answered the door. "Hey guys."

"Hey. Sorry we're a little late," Lorelai said. "We stopped home to tell Rory how the appointment went. She's sorry she couldn't make it. She has a lot of homework to do."

"Well, Sookie made plenty, so you can take some home to her," Jackson said. "Come on in."

As they walked into the house, Luke said, "I noticed that your railing's a little shaky out there."

Jackson nodded. "Yeah, I know, and I can't figure out why. All the screws seem tight enough."

Luke had started to take his jacket off, but he pulled it back on. "Well, let's go take a look at it."

Jackson grabbed his coat from the hook behind the door. "Maybe you can look at the weather stripping around the windows, too. I think it might need to be replaced, but I could use a second opinion." 

"Sure, I'll check 'em out." He rubbed Lorelai's arm. "Be right back."

"Okay."

"Sookie's in the kitchen," Jackson added. 

The men walked outside. Lorelai took her coat off and draped it on an armchair, then walked to the kitchen. "Hey Sookie."

Sookie turned around and smiled. "Hey. Ooh, I'm so glad you're here. How'd it go?"

Lorelai smiled as she sat down at the kitchen table. "Very good. I'm almost five weeks along, and it's due on July 24th."

Sookie grinned. "Aw, a summer baby. You'll get to have fun outdoor summer birthday barbecues. You can set up a sprinkler and have water balloon tosses and a piñata in the shape of a sun!" 

Lorelai smiled. "Wow, you think much farther ahead than I do." They talked for a few more minutes about the doctor's visit, and then Lorelai sighed and stood up. "Okay, bathroom time. . .again." 

She walked to the bathroom, and when she returned, Luke was sitting on the couch in the living room. She sat down next to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Ooh, your face is cold." She rubbed his cheek to warm it up. "Did you have some good male bonding out there?" 

"Yup. Made up for having to listen to all that female talk at the doctor's."

Lorelai smiled. "Just be thankful you only have to _listen_ to it. I'm the one who has to go through it."

A few minutes later, Sookie and Jackson walked into the room. Jackson was carrying a plate of appetizers, which he set on the coffee table, and Sookie was carrying a gift bag, which she handed to Lorelai. "Here, we got you a couple of things."

"Aw, you didn't have to get us anything." Lorelai smiled at Luke. "Wasn't that nice?"

"Yeah, very nice."

Sookie and Jackson both sat down and watched Lorelai open the gift bag. She pulled out a book and read the title. "_What to Expect When You're Expecting._" Lorelai gasped and smacked Luke on the leg. "Aw, look! Now I don't have to go buy it myself."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, good." He turned to Sookie and Jackson. "She just mentioned on the way home from the doctor that she should go out and get that." 

"So you guys saved me a trip," Lorelai said. "Thanks."

Sookie smiled. "You're welcome. I guess it's probably more directed at first-time mothers, but we figured since it's been so long. . ."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, absolutely. I need to refresh my memory about this pregnancy stuff." She reached into the bag and pulled out another book. "Cool - _20,001 Names for Baby_."

Luke's eyes widened. "Wow, I didn't know there were that many names in the world."

"That's nothing," Sookie said. "There was another book that had 93,000 names."

Lorelai gasped. "Oh my God, that's crazy."

Sookie giggled. "I know. I guess for some people, 20,001 names isn't really broad enough of a selection, and they prefer to explore the other 73,000 options before deciding on one." 

"People are nuts," Luke commented. 

Lorelai reached into the bag and pulled out the last book. She read the title, then smiled and handed it to Luke. "That's yours, hon."

Luke read the title aloud. "_What To Expect When Your Wife Is Expanding_. Huh."

"You're gonna need to know what you have in store, my friend," Lorelai said.

"You're in for a bumpy nine months," Sookie warned. "Be prepared."

"Thanks." Luke turned the book over and read the back cover. "Looks funny."

"Informative _and_ humorous," Jackson said. "I was flipping through it in the bookstore, and it's a pretty good read. And chapter three answers some very important questions."

Luke turned to the table of contents and read through the outline of chapter three, then smirked. "Ah. Thanks for the tip."

"What's in chapter three?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, come on, share it with us girls," Lorelai said. 

"It's nothing, never mind," Luke said quickly. 

"Tsk, give me that." Lorelai reached for the book, but he held it away from her. She pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "Fine, forget it." She grimaced and dropped her arms. "Ow."

"What's wrong?" Sookie asked.

"My boobs are sore," Lorelai replied. "Sorry for the bluntness, Jackson."

"Don't worry, Jackson's heard of boobs," Sookie replied. "They hurt?"

"Yeah, and poor Luke found out the hard way," Lorelai said, patting him on the leg. "Before I could mention it to him the other day, he came up behind me and slipped his hands under my – " 

"Okay, they don't need the whole story," Luke interrupted. 

"Aw, he tried to grope something that didn't want to be groped?" Sookie asked.

"Yup, two somethings," Lorelai replied. "And I said something like 'ow, stop' really loud and he got nervous and jumped back. It was actually pretty humorous."

Luke sighed. "Okay, any time you wanna stop talking is good." 

"Aw, sorry, I'm embarrassing you." Lorelai sighed and leaned back against the couch. "I just hope the pain goes away soon."

"The doctor said they wouldn't hurt as much after the first trimester," Luke reminded her.

Lorelai gave him an impressed smile. "Wow, you really were listening." Luke shrugged nonchalantly, and Lorelai added, "But I guess two women talking about breasts is a conversation any man would remember." 

"I'd remember it," Jackson said.

Sookie picked up a book from the end table. "I also picked this up at the bookstore for me." She passed it over to Lorelai.

Lorelai smiled as she read the cover. "_Homemade Baby Food, Pure and Simple._ Aw, that's so cute, Sookie."

Sookie grinned. "Your baby's gonna be eating the healthiest, best-tasting baby food in all of Connecticut."

Lorelai flipped through the book and stopped on a page. "Uh, you can skip the pureed spinach. I'd never subject my baby to that."

"I'll make a note," Sookie replied. The four of them talked for a few more minutes in the living room, then moved into the kitchen for dinner.

* * * 

That night, Lorelai and Luke pulled up to their house, and as they were walking to the front porch, Lorelai stopped and pulled him back. "Wait."

"What is it?"

"Look up." Lorelai smiled and pointed toward the streetlight, where she could faintly see a small sprinkling of snow flurries. "It's snowing."

Luke followed her gaze. "It's not snowing, it's flurrying."

Lorelai scoffed. "Excuse me – what's the definition of a flurry?"

"A very small. . .piece of. . .uh. . ." He searched for an alternate word, then reluctantly muttered, "Snow."

Lorelai pointed at him. "Aha! The word snow is in the definition, so it's snowing."

"It's melting before it even gets near the ground."

Lorelai pouted. "Luke."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine, it's snowing."

"Thank you." Lorelai unbuttoned her jacket, then lifted up her shirt a few inches to expose her stomach. "Look up there, little baby – that's called snow. Snow is magical and beautiful and Mommy loves it. Daddy. . ." She glanced at Luke. "Well, Daddy doesn't really like it, but we still love him."

Luke tugged her shirt back down. "Don't do that, it's cold." 

"But I had to show it the snow."

He glanced up at the sky. "It's over already anyway. You really want that pathetic 30-second flurrying to go on record as the baby's first snowfall?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Hm, I guess not. Maybe we should pretend this didn't happen."

"Sounds good."

Lorelai kissed him, and they started walking toward the front door. "So how'd you like it?"

"Like what?"

Lorelai smiled and nudged him in the side. "Being called 'Daddy'."

Luke smiled and laced his fingers through hers. "I think I'll get used to it."

* * *

To be continued. . .

Thanks so much for all the incredibly nice feedback, and for letting me know you guys are still reading. I hadn't gotten much response lately, so I was just curious. Glad to know you're still out there! :)

I've spent lots of time checking over all the baby-related facts online, from the pregnancy test being accurate so early, to determining her due date, to the symptoms, because I'm trying to make things as realistic and accurate as I can. Just wanted to let you know that I'm not making anything up – it's all been checked over. Thanks again for all the nice feedback, you guys are awesome. :)


	11. Part 11

"It's Still There – part 11"

* * *

Lorelai and Luke walked into the house and found Rory studying on the couch. "Hey hon." Lorelai held up a plastic container. "Sookie sent some dinner home for you."

"Oh, thanks," Rory replied, taking it from her. "Uh, listen, Grandma called while you were out."

"For what?"

"To cancel Friday night dinner this week."

Lorelai let out a surprised gasp. "Ooh, really?"

"Yeah. She was invited to a dinner party, and she went into this really long complaint about how it was so last minute and how that's incredibly rude and how she shouldn't even attend just out of spite, but how that would – "

Lorelai held up her hand. "If I wanna hear the rant, I'll call her and ask her to repeat it for me."

"Sorry. But then she invited us to Thanksgiving dinner at her house," Rory said.

"Did you tell her we have plans already?" Lorelai asked. "I mean, Luke's cooking at the diner like he usually does, plus we're stopping by Lane's and Sookie's."

"I know, I tried to tell her, but then she started talking about how they wouldn't be here for Christmas because they're going away, and how this is the last holiday we could spend together this year and how she wouldn't take no for answer."

Lorelai gasped. "Wait, so there's no Christmas party this year? No apple tarts?"

Rory shrugged. "I guess not."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, man. That's not a good way to end the year." She took off her coat, then sat on the couch next to Rory. "So what do we do about Thanksgiving?"

"I guess you'll have to work them in," Luke said. He sat down on the armchair across from them. 

"How do you suppose we do that?"

"Well, Grandma and Grandpa aren't eating until dinner time," Rory pointed out. "And the Kim's always eat early, so that'll be our lunch, and then we can stop at Sookie's and the diner in between."

"_Four_ Thanksgiving meals?" Lorelai clenched her stomach. "The baby is getting scared. I hear it yelling for help. 'Mommy, please don't eat that much food all in one day! There won't be any room for _me_ in here!'"

"Well, you don't _have_ to eat at the diner," Luke said. 

"But we eat at the diner every year for Thanksgiving," Lorelai said. 

"It's tradition," Rory said.

"A yummy tradition," Lorelai added.

"You don't have to eat there _just_ to fulfill tradition," Luke pointed out. "I cook the meal there every year so that people who have nowhere to go _will_ have a place to go. And you two already have plenty of places to go."

"I guess," Lorelai muttered. 

"So, here's what we'll do," Luke said. "I'll go into the diner in the morning and take care of things there. You guys go to Lane's and Sookie's, then come home for a while, and then all three of us can go to your parents' house for dinner."

"Sounds okay to me," Rory said.

"Yeah, that sounds okay," Lorelai agreed.

"Is that when you're gonna tell Grandma and Grandpa about the baby?" Rory asked them.

Lorelai shrugged. "I guess so. If we wait too long to tell them they'll throw some sort of fit about how we should've told them sooner and the baby will hear them and get scared and never wanna come out."

"So, Thanksgiving, then," Luke said.

Lorelai nodded. "Thanksgiving."

"Okay." Luke stood up and rubbed his left arm. "I gotta go do my arm exercises. I'll be upstairs."

"Okay."

As Luke walked up the steps, Rory pointed to the gift bag he had set down next to the chair. "What's that?"

Lorelai retrieved it and brought it back to the couch. "Some books Sookie picked up for us." She pulled them out of the bag, and she and Rory began looking through them.

* * *

That night, Lorelai lay in bed reading when Luke walked in from just having taken a shower. She looked up at him and smiled. "Hey." 

"Hey." He walked across the room to his dresser.

"Look what I'm reading, " Lorelai said. He turned to look, and she held up the book for expectant fathers.

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Why are you reading mine?"

Lorelai smiled. "I read some of the mysterious chapter three."

"Oh yeah?" Luke turned back to his dresser and started rustling through a drawer.

"Yup. So tell me. . .what you and Jackson were referring to earlier, would it perhaps be the section entitled 'sex during pregnancy'?" Luke pulled a pair of boxer shorts out of his dresser, then turned around with a smirk. Lorelai smiled and wagged a finger at him. "Ha, I thought so."

"Yeah, well. . ." Luke's voice trailed off and he shrugged. He dropped the towel that was wrapped around his waist and stepped into his boxer shorts, then walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Yes, okay, fine. Call me a typical guy, but yes, the thought has crossed my mind."

"Typical guy." Lorelai smiled and slapped him playfully on his thigh. "What, were you worried that you'd suddenly have to be celibate for the next nine months?"

"I just. . .I wasn't sure how all that worked," he admitted "I mean, if women. . . I mean, when they're. . ." He gestured to her stomach. "You know. . ." 

"Pregnant," Lorelai supplied.

"Yeah, I didn't know if they feel like. . .you know. . ." His voice trailed off as he gestured circles in the air. 

Lorelai let out a laugh. "Why do you sound nervous talking about this?"

Luke sighed. "I don't know. . .because I know it probably sounds insensitive. Because I know I'm supposed to be so happy about the kid that the idea of sleeping with my wife should be the last thing on my mind."

Lorelai waved him off. "No, don't worry about it." She glanced down at the book in her lap. "Anyway, according to this, you _probably_ won't have to wait nine months to get lucky." She put the book aside. "And according to me. . .you _definitely_ won't have to wait that long." 

"No?"

"No. I mean, yeah, there _will_ be days where I'll feel sick and gross and even the thought of you touching me will make me wanna throw up," she warned him. "But the rest of the time. . ." She smiled and kissed him. "You'll have to beat me off with a stick. Or something that rhymes with it."

"Nice mouth."

"Thank you." Luke leaned in for another kiss, but Lorelai pushed him back. "Go away, I'm not done reading about the intricacies of pregnancy from a male perspective." She picked up the book, flipped open to a page, and leaned back against the pillow. Luke took the book and tossed it on the floor, and she gasped. "Is that any way to treat literature? Rory's gonna have you hunted down and killed." She paused to glance down at his hand, which was running up and down her thigh. "And then I'd have no one to do _that_."

He kissed her. "Well, then I suggest we don't tell her." 

She smiled as he began kissing down to her neck. "Good plan."

* * * 

On Friday night, Luke, Lorelai, and Rory sat in the back row of the crowded town meeting. After a particularly boring discussion about weatherproofing the gazebo, Lorelai leaned toward Rory and whispered, "Okay, this is our first grandparents-free Friday night in a long time, is it not?"

"Yes, it is."

"So remind me again why we're spending it at a town meeting."

"Because they're interesting. They keep us up to date on town issues and let us interact with our fellow townspeople," Rory replied. "Plus, we didn't have anything better to do."

"But it's _Friday night_," Lorelai reminded her. "A town meeting is okay to go to on a weeknight, but going to one on a Friday night is just sad. And the fact that it's a packed house makes the whole town kinda sad." Rory nodded her head in agreement, and they both turned to face Taylor at the podium.

"Okay, then, let's move on to the next order of business," Taylor announced. He held up a piece of paper. "This is the sign-up sheet for the annual reenactment ceremony. It has been posted in the market for the past week, however, we are still in need of some re-enactors, so I'm going to circulate it right now. I hope that any of you who do not have plans for this coming Monday night will choose to participate in this special ceremony." He passed the paper to Miss Patty, who passed it on to the first row of people. 

Lorelai gasped and whispered, "The reenactment ceremony!" She turned to Luke and patted him excitedly on the arm. "You hate that. Come on, why aren't you throwing a fit? We need some entertainment at this meeting."

"I got it all out of my system the other day when I saw the sign-up sheet in Doose's," Luke reminded her. 

Lorelai frowned. "Oh, yeah. But can't you just get up and yell 'This is so damn stupid!' or start a fist fight or something?"

"Forget it."

"But – "

"Shh." Luke patted her thigh. "Be good and I'll get you some hot chocolate on the way home." Lorelai sighed and slumped back against her chair. 

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the meeting ended and the three of them stood up. "Hot chocolate time," Lorelai announced.

"Just wait a minute, I wanna go talk to Andrew and see how Jess is doing at work," Luke said. "I'll be right back."

Luke walked across the room over to Andrew, and Lorelai and Rory sat back down in their chairs. Most of the townspeople filed out past them, and after a few minutes, Miss Patty and Babette walked by, whispering quietly to each other. 

"Hey guys," Lorelai said. They abruptly stopped whispering and looked guiltily at one another, and Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Babette replied quickly. 

"Nothing at all," Patty added. "How are you two?"

Rory shook a finger at them. "You two are gossiping again, aren't you?"

They both shook their heads, and Lorelai gasped. "You are! Come on, spill it. We're in the mood for gossip. Please?"

Rory pouted. "Pretty please?" 

Babette waved them off. "You probably already know about it since you and Sookie are so close."

Lorelai stood up and narrowed her eyes. "It's about Sookie?"

"What about her?" Rory asked, standing up.

Miss Patty smiled and leaned toward them. "You know, about her being pregnant."

Lorelai gasped. "What?"

"You didn't know?" Babette asked.

"Uh, no, we didn't know," Lorelai said. "How do you know? Did she tell you?"

"No, but someone saw her and Jackson buying a couple books about pregnancy the other day," Babette said. She rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Looks like someone's got a bun in the oven."

Lorelai's eyes widened and she stammered, "Oh. . .uh. . .well.. .that's. . .it doesn't. . .I mean, just because they. . ."

"That doesn't mean anything," Rory said for her.

Lorelai cleared her throat, then nodded in agreement. "Right, it means nothing. It's just some books."

"Well, why else would she buy them?" Babette asked. "It makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Luke asked as he walked up to them. He put his arm around Lorelai. "What are you talking about?"

"Sookie's pregnant," Babette told him.

Luke's eyes widened. "She is?"

"She's not pregnant!" Lorelai declared loudly. "Everyone needs to stop assuming things."

"Well, we only go by what we hear," Miss Patty said. 

"Wait, what's going on?" Luke asked.

"Uh, they heard that Sookie was buying some pregnancy-related books," Rory told Luke. "So that's why they think she's pregnant."

"Pregnancy-related books? Like. . ." Luke glanced at Lorelai and she gave him a look. "Oh." 

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. So I'm trying to explain to them that that doesn't mean anything." 

Luke swallowed and gestured aimlessly toward Babette and Patty. "Yeah, that's right. Books. . .uh. . .they don't mean anything. I mean, it could just be . . well, maybe it's something they're. . .uh, you know, just thinking about."

"Right, maybe they're just thinking about it," Rory agreed. "It doesn't mean she's pregnant now. She would've told us if she was."

"Yeah, she would've told us," Lorelai repeated. "And, um, anyway, maybe they weren't even for her." Luke glanced at her curiously, and she nodded slightly as she laced her fingers through his. "Maybe they were a gift for someone else."

"A gift, huh?" Babette considered the idea. 

"Well, I guess that's possible," Miss Patty mused.

"Yeah, maybe she picked them up with the intention of giving them to someone she knows is expecting," Lorelai continued.

"Uh, like a friend," Rory said, catching on to the idea that Lorelai was ready to divulge the truth. "Or a co-worker." 

"Or. . . someone who's both," Lorelai finished with a casual shrug. "Mm, who could that be? Someone who's Sookie's friend, who also works with her? Let's think about this one." 

Miss Patty and Babette stared at her for a moment, then turned to each other with their mouths agape. They turned back to Lorelai with wide eyes. "You, honey?" Patty asked.

Lorelai smiled and nodded, and they both gasped. "No! You're kidding!" Patty exclaimed. 

"Here we are gossiping about someone being knocked-up when it was you the whole time?" Babette asked.

"You two are losing your knack," Luke commented.

"Oh my goodness, congratulations," Patty gushed, pulling both Luke and Lorelai into a tight hug. "This is so incredible."

Luke tried to pull back, but Patty didn't loosen her grip. "Uh, Patty, can you just. . .with the squeezing. . ." He cleared his throat. 

"Yeah, let go and let me have at 'em," Babette said, urging Patty out of the way. Patty stepped back, and Babette took her place, hugging them both tightly. 

"Oh, geez," Luke muttered.

"I warned you there would be hugging," Rory reminded him.

"Oh, goodness, do you have any idea how gorgeous it's gonna be?" Babette asked. "You could sell it on the black market and make a fortune."

Lorelai and Luke both pulled back from the hug and shared an amused look. "Uh, maybe, but I think we're gonna keep it," Lorelai said. "You know, do that whole 'raising a kid' thing that people sometimes do."

"Aw, our gruff diner man's gonna be a daddy." Patty cocked her head to the side and pinched Luke's cheek. "That is so adorable!"

He rolled his eyes and swatted her hand away. "Okay, enough." He took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets. 

Babette rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Oh, this is so exciting! How long have you known?"

"When are you due?" Patty asked.

"And what's the big sister have to say about all this?" Babette asked, nudging Rory's arm.

Lorelai held up her hands. "Whoa, let's take one question at a time, shall we? Uh, we just found out on Saturday, I'm due July 24th. . ." She gestured for Rory to finish up.

"And the big sister is thrilled to death," Rory finished, smiling proudly.

"And Luke's ready to go, so. . ." Luke gestured toward the door.

"Oh, yeah, we're gonna go get hot chocolate and head home," Lorelai said. 

"Okay, sweetie," Patty said. She pulled Lorelai into another hug. "We're so happy for you."

Babette joined in on the hug. "Yeah, doll, this is big news. And you let us know if you need anything."

Lorelai pulled back and smiled. "I will, thanks. And I'm guessing your phones are gonna be working overtime tonight, huh?"

Patty and Babette glanced at each other and shrugged. "Whatever do you mean?" Patty asked.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Just make sure you get it right – it's me, not Sookie."

"Oh, we got it straight now," Babette assured her.

Luke, Lorelai, and Rory walked out onto the sidewalk, and Babette and Patty went to spread the news to the few townspeople lingering near the podium.

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai was walking toward the diner, stopping occasionally to accept congratulatory hugs from townspeople, when Lane ran up behind her. "Lorelai!"

Lorelai stopped and turned around. "Hey."

Lane hugged her. "I just heard, congratulations!"

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks, sweetie." 

"So how are you feeling?"

Lorelai made a face. "Ugh, I spent like forty minutes this morning hunched over the toilet waiting to throw up. And then I finally did, and it was not as satisfying as you would expect it would be after a forty minute nauseous waiting period."

Lane frowned sympathetically. "Aw, that sucks."

"Yeah, and now I'm gonna go do that thing that pregnant women do where they yell at the guy who got them pregnant for making them go through this."

Lane smiled. "Well, good luck with that. And congratulations again."

"Thank you." 

Lane turned to head back home and Lorelai continued walking toward the diner. She approached the soon-to-be soda shop, where Taylor was standing out front with a carpenter, and they both offered their congratulations as she passed by. 

She walked into the diner and over to Luke at the counter. "Hey," she said as she sat on a stool.

"Hey." He glanced down at his watch. "I've been here 2 hours and I've gotten 9 congratulations', a few 'good luck's', one 'I hope you know what you're getting into' and this. . ." He tossed a napkin toward her.

Lorelai picked it up and read the words scribbled on it. "'Way to go, man. Your wife is hot.'" She laughed. "Who's that from?"

Luke shrugged. "I'm not sure. I found it on the counter." He took the napkin from her and read it over with an amused look. "I still don't know if the 'way to go, man' part is for the baby or for having a hot wife."

Lorelai smiled. "I think it could be interpreted for both." She took the napkin back. "I wanna keep that, thanks." She shoved it into her purse. "Patty and Babette sure did work fast, huh?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I can't believe how quickly it got around."

"Oh, and before I forget, I hate you."

"For the same reason you hated me yesterday morning?"

"Yes."

"Okay, got it." He gestured toward the kitchen. "You want something to eat, or do you feel sick?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "I feel a little sick, but I'm hungry at the same time. I need something small, like toast or something."

Luke nodded. "Okay, be right back." He leaned across the counter and kissed her, then walked into the kitchen.

* * *

On Tuesday morning, Lorelai rushed into the inn and over to the front desk. "You're _twenty _minuteslate," Michel greeted her sourly.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Lorelai took off her coat, then tossed it and her purse on the chair behind her. 

Michel handed her a stack of papers. "These need to be signed and faxed as soon as possible."

"Signed and faxed, got it." She opened a drawer and started rummaging through it. "God, where the hell are all the pens?" She slammed the drawer closed and roughly opened another one.

Michel held a pen out to her. "Take this before you break all the drawers." 

Lorelai sighed as she took it from him. "Thank you." She started reading the papers he'd given her.

A few moments later, as Michel walked toward the computer, he said, "Oh, and you might like to know that Mr. Ridgement is here."

Lorelai looked up from the papers. "Who?"

"The man who is thinking of having his retirement party here," Michel replied. "He's been waiting in your office for ten minutes."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Why didn't you tell me that as soon as I got here?"

Michel shrugged nonchalantly. "Must've slipped my mind."

Lorelai scowled at him and rushed toward her office.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, Lorelai entered the kitchen and slumped over to Sookie. "Oh my God, Sookie." She sat down on a nearby stool and clutched her stomach as she let out a groan. "I feel so crappy. First I was late this morning because I was throwing up, and then I get here and stupid Mr. Ridgemont is waiting in my office for me to give him a personal tour of the inn. And I had to do so while being _extra_ happy and friendly to make up for the fact that I kept him waiting for ten minutes, all while trying to not accidentally vomit on him."

Sookie made a face. "Boy, I really hope you were successful with the not-vomiting part."

"Yes, I was." She sighed and rocked back and forth on the stool. "Ugh, I hate this feeling."

Sookie frowned sympathetically. "Aw, honey, I know it sucks, but it'll go away soon." She paused, then added, "At least, I think, but I'm not really sure, so don't take my word for it."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Very reassuring, Sookie, thank you. And just who the hell came up with the idea to call it 'morning sickness' because that is such false advertising. It doesn't just happen in the morning. Sometimes it happens in the afternoon. Yesterday it happened at dinner time. It happens at all different times of day, thus it should be called 'all-day sickness' so pregnant women really know what they're in for."

"Maybe _you_ could rename it," Sookie suggested.

"Maybe. What I'd really like to do is find the man who came up with the title and then call him up and yell at him." 

"Or her. It could be a woman."

Lorelai shook a finger at her. "Oh, no, I'm sure it was a him because a woman wouldn't lie to millions of other women by naming it something it's not. Only a man would do something like that."

"Good point." 

"Yes, so you work on getting his number. I wanna give him a piece of my mind."

"I'll look into it." Sookie thought for a moment. "Wait, he's probably dead. The term 'morning sickness' has been around for a long time."

"Well, find out the names of his heirs then."

"Okay, got it."

Lorelai stood up with a loud sigh. "Okay, off to the bathroom yet again. God, between this stupid need to pee every five minutes and the throwing up, I'm spending like three-fourths of every day in the bathroom." 

Sookie walked with her to the door. "Has Michel said anything about the baby? He does know, right?"

"Yes, and all he said was that he can't wait for my maternity leave to start so that I won't be here to annoy him." Lorelai smiled and added, "But then I lied and told him that while I'm gone, Tobin'll be here to take over for me, and that sent Michel into one of the funniest hissy fits I've ever seen."

Sookie giggled. "Aw, man, I wanna see that."

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll use that threat again to tease him. I'll come get you next time."

"Thank you."

* * *

Early on Thanksgiving morning, Luke was in the shower when he heard the bathroom door open, followed by Lorelai groggily announcing, "It's just me."

After a minute, Luke pulled the shower curtain aside and saw her crouched in front of the toilet. "You okay?"

Still staring at the toilet bowl, she clutched her stomach and muttered, "Peachy." Her face twitched as her current wave of nausea increased in intensity, and she groaned. She clenched her eyes shut and mumbled, "Ugh, I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this." 

He smiled to himself. "So. . .do you hate this? 'Cause you didn't really make it clear." 

Lorelai scoffed with disgust, then turned to him, her lips pursed tightly. "Do I _really_ look like I'm in the freaking mood for remarks like that? Seriously, tell me if I do, because if there's anything about this situation that screams 'Lorelai looks like she wants to engage in witty banter', then let me know so I can change it." 

Luke's eyes widened and he muttered, "Uh, sorry." He quickly pulled the curtain shut, and a few moments later, the sounds that echoed through the bathroom made him very thankful he did. Watching her throw up wasn't how he wanted to start his day. The toilet flushed, and he continued showering while Lorelai washed her hands and brushed her teeth. 

Then Lorelai walked over to the shower and pulled open the curtain with a sigh. "Hi, sorry for the freak out." 

Luke shrugged as he turned off the water. "No big deal."

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"You, too." He ran his hand over her stomach. "You, too, kid. I'll try to make sure your mother doesn't eat too much."

Lorelai grimaced. "Ugh, please stop. I'd rather sit through a 24-hour marathon of _Just Shoot Me_ than think about food right now."

"Sorry." He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the rack. "It's early. You going back to bed?"

Lorelai nodded. "I'm gonna try." He followed her to the bedroom. She climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers as Luke walked over to his dresser. 

She watched him get dressed, and when he was finished, he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. She reached for his hand and stroked his palm. "Rory and I'll stop by the diner sometime today."

"I thought you weren't gonna eat there."

"Not to eat, just to say hi. I don't wanna go all day without seeing you."

"Okay." He kissed her. "Have a good day. I'll see you later."

"You, too. Bye."

* * *

Later that day, Lorelai and Rory were walking toward the market. "So now her life plan is to become a drummer?" Lorelai asked.

Rory shrugged. "Apparently she's found her calling."

"And Mrs. Kim is letting her answer the call?" 

"No, she doesn't know about it, so make sure you don't say anything when we're there."

Lorelai gasped. "But my opening line was gonna be, 'Hey Mrs. Kim, heard that Lane wants to be in a rock and roll band. Here's some cranberry sauce.' But now you're telling me that won't work?"

Rory shook her head. "Sorry. Gotta think of a new opening line."

"Hm." Lorelai pondered for a moment. "Has she heard about the baby yet? Because 'Hey, I'm pregnant' has always been a smooth conversation starter."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, that's always nice, but I think she knows already." 

"Aw. I'll keep thinking."

They reached the market and went inside to pick up some items. They came out a few minutes later, and after buying two bouquets at the flower stand, they headed toward the Kim residence.

"Okay, came up with a good line," Lorelai said. "'Hey Mrs. Kim, how are ya? Mind if I use your bathroom?'"

Rory snickered. "You have to go _again_?"

Lorelai frowned. "I can't help it. The kid's bouncing around on my bladder."

"The kid is like the size of a grain of rice. How can that affect your bladder so much?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's something else in there poking my bladder. Maybe it's Dennis Quaid."

"Huh?" Rory thought for a moment. "Oh, _Innerspace._"

"Yeah."

"Got it."

They walked up the front steps of the Kim residence and knocked on the door, and after a moment, Mrs. Kim answered. 

"Happy Thanksgiving, Mrs. Kim," Lorelai said. "Mind if I use your – "

"Happy Thanksgiving," Rory interrupted, nudging Lorelai, who frowned.

"Hello, Happy Thanksgiving," Mrs. Kim greeted them. 

"Uh, we brought cranberry sauce," Lorelai said, holding up the bag from the market. 

"And flowers," Rory added, handing her a bouquet.

"Ah, very nice, thank you," Mrs. Kim replied, accepting the gifts. She nodded toward Lorelai. "Congratulations, Lorelai. Nice of you to have a baby _in_ wedlock this time."

"Oh, uh, thanks, I guess." 

Mrs. Kim nodded and walked away. 

Lorelai turned to Rory. "Well, now my life's complete. Mrs. Kim has approved of something I've done."

"Congratulations."

They took off their coats and hung them up, then Lorelai gestured toward the stairs. "I'm gonna go up and use the bathroom."

"I'm gonna go find Lane. I'll meet you by the food table."

* * *

A few hours later, Lorelai entered the diner, where several townspeople were enjoying a home cooked Thanksgiving meal. Lorelai walked to the counter and sat down next to Kirk. "Hey Kirk. Happy Thanksgiving."

Kirk nodded toward her. "You, too. Congratulations again on the baby." 

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Kirk, but seriously, you don't have to say it every time you see me for the next 8 months. Remember, we had this same conversation yesterday."

"Yeah, sorry, it just slipped out." Kirk pulled a folded-up packet of papers out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I wanted to give you this." 

"Ooh, what is it?" Lorelai unfolded it and read it over, then narrowed her eyes at him. "Your resume?" She flipped to the next page. "Wow, it's very long."

"Yes. I wanted to be the first one to apply as a caregiver for your unborn child," Kirk explained. "I think you'll find that I have a very upstanding reputation, and I have a ton of references."

Lorelai nodded. "Uh, yeah, I see that."

"So you can just look that over and let me know what you think."

"I will do that, Kirk," she assured him.

Luke walked out from the kitchen and smiled when he saw Lorelai. "Hey." 

Lorelai looked up as he leaned across the counter to kiss her. "Hi."

He slid a plate of food in front of Kirk. "There you go, Kirk." 

"Thanks." Kirk picked up the plate and walked over to an empty table.

"What's that?" Luke asked, gesturing to the papers Lorelai was holding.

Lorelai smirked. "Kirk is applying to be our nanny."

"What?" He took the papers and looked them over. "Oh my God, he gave you his resume?"

Lorelai giggled. "Yup."

Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He's nuts if he thinks I'll leave him alone with my kid." He tossed the papers aside. "Where's Rory?"

"Oh, she's at the market bringing Dean some deep-fried turkey."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Deep-fried turkey?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Remember I told you that Sookie was gonna let Jackson cook the turkey this year?" Luke nodded. "Well, his plan was to deep fry it in a vat of boiling oil."

Luke smiled. "Oh, geez. Was Sookie freaking out?"

"Oh, yeah. You could see her watching the turkey go into the pot, just wishing she could run up and save it and rub some herbs on it or something."

"How'd you calm her down?" 

"Lots of alcohol."

"Ah. How was the Kim's?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Healthy food and church hymns, same as every year. How's it been here?" 

"Pretty busy, actually. I'm glad we went with three turkeys this year. And Jess came down a little while ago, all dressed up. He's eating with Jill's family."

"Ooh, nice. Has he said anything about the baby? He knows, right?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah. The other day, he came up to me, gave me a hug and told me I'd be a great dad because I'm just like one to him."

Lorelai gasped. "No, he didn't! Aw, that's so cute. Really?"

Luke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Please."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "I knew it. What did he really say?"

"He said congratulations and asked when it was coming, so I told him in the summer." Luke shrugged. "That's it."

"Hm, sounds like a nice long in-depth conversation." She stood up. "I'm gonna go home and take a nap. You're coming home around six, right?"

"Yup."

"Okay." She kissed him. "Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Just before seven that night, Luke, Lorelai, and Rory were standing on the front porch of Emily and Richard's house. Luke was adjusting his tie, complaining about the fact that he was actually wearing one.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Will you hush, please. You look good. Ring the bell, sweets."

Rory obliged, and a moment later, the maid answered the door and invited them in. "Everyone's in the living room," she told them as she took their coats.

"Everyone?" Lorelai asked. "Are there other people here besides my parents?"

"Yes, ma'am," the maid replied. 

Lorelai, Luke, and Rory shared a confused look and proceeded to the living room, where Richard and Emily were talking with another couple. "Uh, hey. Happy Thanksgiving," Lorelai announced.

"Ah, here they are," Richard announced. 

"Happy Thanksgiving." Emily waved them over. "Come in, come in. I'd like you to meet the Swopes. Douglas and Natalie, this is Lorelai, Luke, and Rory." The five of them exchanged salutations, then everyone sat down.

"Oh, let me get our new arrivals a drink." Richard stood up and walked toward the drink cart. "What can I get you?"

"Uh, water's fine for me, Dad," Lorelai replied. 

"Me, too," Luke replied.

"Coke, please," Rory replied.

"So, Luke, how's your arm?" Emily asked.

"Oh, it's okay, thanks," he replied. "I can use it a lot more now."

"Oh, what happened?" Natalie asked.

Emily explained about the car accident, then asked Luke, "Are you driving yet?"

"He's not supposed to," Lorelai answered for him. "But he does."

Luke shrugged. "Sometimes I take the Jeep to the diner when she's not using it."

"The doctor suggested that he wait another week or two for his arm to get stronger," Lorelai explained.

"It's only to the diner," Luke said. "It's a sixty second drive."

"Well, a lot can happen in sixty seconds," Richard said as he handed them their drinks. 

"Yes, you should listen to the doctor," Natalie commented. "They know what's best for you."

"Yes, see, that's what I tell him," Lorelai said. 

"So Rory, tell us about school," Emily said. "What's new there?"

They continued talking in the living room for a few minutes, and then moved to the dining room for dinner. The meal was served and they started to eat. 

After a few minutes, Natalie said, "So, Lorelai, your mother tells us you two were just married."   


Lorelai nodded and smiled across the table at Luke. "Yes, that's right. September first."

"How lovely," Natalie commented. "I remember my days of being a newlywed."

"So do I," Emily said. "Feels like just yesterday."

"Perhaps after dinner we could show them the wedding pictures," Richard suggested. 

"Oh, yes, please, I would love to see them," Natalie said. 

"They came out beautifully," Emily commented.

"Yes, I can imagine so. You two make an adorable couple," Natalie commented.

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, well, that's nice. Thank you."

"You would have beautiful children," Natalie continued. "Have you two talked about that yet?"

Surprised by the question, Lorelai, in the midst of sipping her water, coughed a little as she set the glass back on the table. She dabbed her mouth with her napkin, then set it in her lap. "Oh, uh, well – "

"Ignore her," Douglas piped up. "She's always butting in where she doesn't belong."

"Yes, Natalie, please, they're still newlyweds," Emily reminded her. "They need to get used to being married before they even think about children."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Natalie said sincerely.

"Oh, no, you're not, it's okay." Lorelai stared across the table at Luke for a moment. "Um, actually, I think Luke and I are pretty used to the marriage thing already, right, hon?"

Luke nodded. "Uh, yeah, I think we're. . .you know. . .pretty good at it."

"Yeah, so. . . you know, that children topic might come up pretty soon," Lorelai said.

Emily and Richard glanced at each other, intrigued. 

"Really," Emily remarked. "Hm."

"How soon?" Richard asked.

Lorelai shrugged and started picking at her mashed potatoes with her fork. "I don't know. . .maybe around July 24th."

Richard chuckled. "July 24th – you have an exact date picked out to talk about having children? Well, that's certainly interesting."

"Uh, no, actually. . .that's the date that. . ." She paused. "Well, Luke and I are. . ." She let out a low sigh and tapped her fingers on the table. "God, why do I feel sixteen and incredibly nervous all of a sudden?"

Emily stared at her for a moment, then set her fork down. "What's going on?"

Lorelai gave Luke a look, and he shifted in his seat. "Uh, well, what she's trying to say is that. . .uh, we're. . .she's. . .you know. . ."

"Mom's pregnant," Rory announced.

"Thank you, honey," Lorelai said gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," Luke said.

Emily gasped lightly. "No, you're not. Are you teasing us?"

Lorelai snickered. "Why would we be teasing you?"

"Because it seems very convenient that this conversation would come up like this in time for you to announce you're pregnant," Emily said. "It just seems like another one of your sarcastic jokes."

"What, a joke that Luke, Rory, and I all just happened to plan and coordinate beforehand? Like we sat down and said, 'If the subject of children comes up at the dinner table, let's all pretend that I'm pregnant.'" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Please, Mom."

"I wouldn't put it past you," Emily said.

"Well, it's not a joke, Mom," Lorelai assured her. "I am truly, absolutely, 100 percent with child."

"Why, I think that's wonderful," Natalie gushed. She rubbed Lorelai's arm. "Congratulations, dear."

"Yes, that's very nice," Douglas added.

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you. See, Mom, they believe me."

Emily stared at her for a moment, then brought her gaze to Richard. "Richard, I don't think she's joking."

"Nor do I, Emily." 

They were silent for a moment, and Lorelai glanced back and forth between them. "Uh, guys, once again, just to make sure that we all get it, I'm not joking. I really am pregnant." She paused a moment. "Say something."

A smile slowly formed on Richard's face. "We're going to have another grandchild."

Emily smirked. "It appears so."

Richard stood up and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I'll go get the champagne." He left the room.

Lorelai smiled and shrugged toward Luke. "I guess that means they're happy."

"Looks like it," he agreed.

"Of course we're happy," Emily said. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know, sometimes. . .uh, you guys. . .well, sometimes you react in unexpected ways to things."

Emily scoffed. "We do not."

"Mom, when I was six and I told you that a house painter looked like a fun job, you promptly took away all of my paints because you thought I'd want to make that my life's goal." 

"It was to encourage you to strive for a more prestigious career," Emily contended.

"Yes, well, I'm just saying. . .I mean, if I thought that being a house painter would make Rory happy, I'd encourage her to go for it, not strip her of all items related to house painting so that she'd grow out of it. It was just a different reaction than one might expect a parent to have."

Emily sighed. "What would you like me to do, Lorelai? Would you like me to go out and buy you some paints to make it up to you?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yes, please." 

A moment later, Richard returned to the room with the maid, who carried a tray of champagne-filled glasses. "Here we are." The maid circled the table and everyone took a glass but Lorelai. Richard raised his in the air. "To family, to friends. . ." He smiled at Rory. "To current grandchildren, as well as future ones who plan to arrive around. . .uh, what was the date again?"

"July 24th," Lorelai supplied.

"Yes, July 24th," Richard repeated. He glanced from Luke to Lorelai. "Congratulations to both of you, and cheers."

"Cheers," everyone replied, and sipped their drinks.

"This is such wonderful, exciting news," Natalie commented. "Tell us how you're feeling, dear."

Lorelai stood up. "Um, well, I will certainly do that, uh, right after I go to the bathroom for the fortieth time today."

"Ah, how I remember those days," Natalie said. "Don't worry, that'll go away soon."

"Thank God, 'cause with all the excess flushing and hand-washing, our water bill's gonna go through the roof soon," Lorelai said. "Excuse me." She left the room and headed toward the bathroom, and the others continued talking.

* * *

That night, as Lorelai and Luke were changing for bed, Lorelai said, "You would not believe the conversation Rory and I had with my mom and her friend after dinner. It was baby this and baby that. My God, there are 8 months to go. I'm going to be baby-talked out within a few weeks."

"They were just excited 'cause it was new news."

"Uh huh. So what did you and the guys talk about in the study while I was getting pounded with baby questions in the living room?"

"I was getting pounded, too."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

He rolled his eyes. "Am I going to invest in any savings bonds for the baby? And I setting up a college fund for the baby? Do I realize how much a baby costs to raise nowadays? Am I sure the baby's really mine?"

Lorelai gasped. "Oh my God, they did _not_ say that."

Luke smirked. "No, I made that up. But don't expect me to feel sorry for you getting pounded when I was getting pounded myself."

Lorelai flopped onto the bed with a yawn. "I'm too tired to point out how dirty that sentence was."

"Good." Luke turned the light off and lay down next to her, then pulled the covers up over them. 

"Oh, I almost forgot." Lorelai grabbed the clock and set the alarm. 

"What are you doing?"

"Setting the alarm."

"Why?"

"Tomorrow's Black Friday – we gotta get up early and go Christmas shopping, catch all the good sales. Hopefully the pregnancy Gods will be nice and I won't feel too sick."

Luke snickered. "I seriously hope when you say 'we,' you're referring to you and Rory, not you and me."

"Duh, of course." She set the clock back on the nightstand, then snuggled up against him. 

"Good." He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "Night."

"Night."

* * *

To be continued . . .

I'm so sorry this chapter took so long! First I had writer's block, and then when I finally was able to write, I couldn't find a good place to stop, so I just kept writing and writing and I didn't realize how long it was getting. Actually, it's the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my stories, it's like 7,000 words, so maybe that fact will make you less mad at me for taking so long. Or maybe not. Anyway, again, sorry for the long wait, and thanks for the feedback. :)


	12. Part 12

"It's Still There – part 12"

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai and Rory were walking through the crowded mall, each carrying several shopping bags. They stopped at the food court for a snack, and they sat down at a table with pretzels and lemonade. 

Rory pulled a list out of her pocket. "Okay, we're not making good progress on the list so far."

"We are, too," Lorelai insisted.

"Mom, we've been shopping for three hours and we're only done with Lane and Sookie."

"Well, that's two people off the list. That's progress."

"Yes, well, we'd be progressing more if you didn't spend 45 minutes shopping for bras for _yourself_," Rory pointed out.

Lorelai took a bite of her pretzel, then wagged a finger at Rory. "Hey, the baby book said that to prevent future sagging, I should get comfortable, supportive bras. You don't want me to have saggy breasts, do you?" 

Rory made a face. "Okay, stop, please." 

Lorelai frowned. "If a mother can't discuss her boobs with her own daughter, who _can_ she discuss them with?"

Rory gestured to Lorelai's stomach. "Well, maybe you'll have another girl and you can discuss them with _that_ daughter."

"Yeah, maybe." They were both quiet for a moment as they ate, then Lorelai smiled at Rory. "So. . .is that what you want?"

Rory looked up from her food. "Huh?"

"A sister. Is that what you hope it is?"

Rory shrugged. "No, I don't hope it's anything. I mean, sister, brother. . .I'll be happy with whatever it is." 

Lorelai nodded understandably and sipped her drink.

"What about you?" Rory asked. "Or when people ask you are you just gonna go with the old run of the mill 'it doesn't matter as long as it's healthy' answer?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I really don't have a preference. I mean, I've been thinking about it a little and. . . I kinda want both. I'll be perfectly happy with either."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." 

Rory bit off a piece of pretzel before asking, "So, what does Luke want, a boy or a girl?"

Lorelai shrugged. "We haven't really talked about it. But I think, despite the widespread generalization that all guys want a son, he'd probably be pretty happy with either, too."

"That's the best way to be," Rory commented. "That way there'll be no disappointments."

"Right." Lorelai paused to take a long sip of her drink. "And I know he doesn't have any experience with babies, but he's one of those guys where you just look at him and you can tell he's gonna be good at it."

Rory smiled and nodded in agreement. "He has that whole 'gruff on the outside, softy on the inside' thing going on now, and I think when the baby comes, the softy inside is gonna be coming out a lot more."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I can't wait to see that." They finished up the last bites of their food, then threw their trash away and started walking toward the other end of the mall. 

"So, listen, hon," Lorelai said. "I feel like it's been awhile since I've told you that I love you."

"You said it this morning."

"Okay, well, just making sure you knew it." 

"Uh, thanks. Love you, too."

"Okay, good." Lorelai cleared her throat. "'Cause, see, I was reading this baby magazine and it was talking about siblings. About how sometimes they get jealous of all the attention that the new baby gets and how they think that the parents don't love them as much anymore and. . .so I just thought I should talk to you."

Rory smiled at her, clearly amused. "Uh, Mom, I'm eighteen years old. I'm starting college in the fall. I think the magazine's referring to siblings who are, you know, toddlers or something."

They stopped walking and turned to each other. "I know, but I still just wanted to make sure we were good."

"We're good, we're fine," Rory assured her.

"It also said that a lot of times there are problems with kids of the same sex. Like, for example, if you have a daughter and then you have _another_ girl, the oldest might not feel as special because it's not the only daughter in the family anymore," Lorelai explained. "And then they'll have all these crazy feelings of rejection and take it out on the baby. So you should know that even if I have another girl, it doesn't mean, 'Oh, look, I have a new daughter. Let's forget about the other one.' You know that, right?"

Rory let out a laugh and rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, you are so insane." She kissed Lorelai on the cheek. "Yes, I know that you're not gonna toss me aside if you have another girl. No, I'm not going to feel rejected or un-special or any of that. And I'm certainly not going to harbor any grudges against the baby, I swear."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, good. Because, you know, whatever the baby is – boy or girl – it's certainly not gonna change the bond that _you_ and I have, or make the experiences that we went through any less special."

"I know, I know," Rory said, patting her on the arm. "Mom, really, I'm completely fine with the baby. I couldn't be any happier about it, seriously. I've told you that. You _have_ heard me tell you that, haven't you?"

Lorelai nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I have, but then I read these magazines and I see all these articles and I start worrying about weird things like that that I never would've been concerned about until the stupid magazine put the thought into my head."

"So maybe you should stop reading the magazines," Rory suggested.

"Maybe I should," she agreed. They resumed walking, and Lorelai suddenly stopped in front of a store window. "Ooh, wait a sec. Look." 

Rory stopped, and the two of them stared into the window. "What are we looking at?"

Lorelai tapped on the glass. "That chess set right there. Isn't it nice?"

"Yeah, I guess, but you don't know how to play chess."

"No, but Luke does," Lorelai replied. "He's told me stories about how his dad taught him how to play when he was younger, and Luke would try really hard to win and he'd spend all this time thinking out his moves and stuff, but his dad would still beat him almost all the time."

"Aw, poor guy. You would think that his dad would've let him win sometimes just to make him feel better."

"You mean like the way I always let you win at Trivial Pursuit when you were little?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Please. If you were letting me win, you wouldn't have been so bitter after every game."

Lorelai scoffed. "That was all part of the act to make you think you beat me fair and square."

"Whatever you say."

Lorelai waved her off. "Okay, let's get back to the point. I think that chess set would make a good Christmas gift for Luke," she said. "I mean, maybe he can teach us to play. . ." She put her hand on her stomach. ". . .and then when this one's old enough, he can teach it to play, too, just like his dad taught him."

Rory smiled. "Aw, that's so cute. You should get it."

Lorelai stared in at the chess set for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think I will." The two of them walked into the store.

* * *

A few nights later, it was just after seven when Luke walked into Doose's Market. He grabbed a shopping basket from the stack by the door, then walked straight to the candy aisle. 

He was browsing the selection when Jackson walked up behind him. "Hey, Luke."

Luke nodded toward him. "Oh, hey, Jackson. How's it going?" 

"Pretty good, you?"

"Okay. Just going on a craving run." He gestured to the candy display. "Lorelai called me a little while ago at the diner and told me that I shouldn't even think about coming home unless I have chocolate." 

"You don't have any at home? I'd think that'd be a staple in your house."

"Yeah, it pretty much is, but apparently there's only stuff like brownies and cookies and cupcakes, but she's craving chocolate _candy_," Luke said, rolling his eyes. 

"Ah, got it. Women, huh?"

"You're telling me." He glanced to the display and shrugged. "I'm not sure what she wants, though. She didn't give specifics. I guess I should play it safe and get an assortment."

"Good idea, cover all the bases." He patted Luke on the shoulder. "See you later."

"Yeah, see ya." Luke turned to the display and started tossing candy into his basket.

* * *

Rory was on the couch reading a book when Luke arrived home ten minutes later. She looked up as he walked into the living room. "Hey, Luke."

"Hey."

"I hope you brought chocolate. Mom told me not to let you come near her without it, that I should use brute force if necessary to keep you away."

Luke held up the bag. "Got it."

"Okay, good." Rory flexed her arm. "Because I would hate to have to use this on you."

Luke smiled. "Yeah, I'd hate that, too. Where is she?"

Rory pointed toward the stairs. "Bedroom."

"Thanks." 

Luke climbed the stairs and stopped outside the open bedroom door. Inside the room, Lorelai was hanging up some clothes in the closet. As she turned to grab the next pile from the armchair, she saw him in the doorway and her eyes lit up. "Ooh, thank God! Please tell me you have the goods!"

Luke held up the bag. "Right here." 

She grinned and rushed over to him, snatching the bag from his hands. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." She kissed him. "I love you, you're the best." She looked into the bag and gasped. "Oh my God, you bought a lot."

"Yeah." 

Lorelai walked over to sit on the bed, and Luke sat next to her. She reached into the bag and pulled out a candy bar. "Ooh, Kit Kat." She opened it and took a bite, letting out a moan of approval. "Mmm." She chewed it slowly, savoring it, and when she was finished, she started pulling the other candy out of the bag. She nodded approvingly as she went along, occasionally holding up a candy bar to her nose and inhaling the chocolate aroma. 

When the bag was empty, she stared down at the selection in front of her, then narrowed her eyes at Luke. "You got regular M&M's, but not peanut M&M's?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Luke picked up a blue box. "Because _these_ are chocolate covered peanuts, which are essentially the same as peanut M&M's, so I figured why waste money and get two similar products?"

Lorelai grabbed the box and shook it angrily at him. "These are Goobers, Luke! Goobers are _not_ like peanut M&M's. Yes, they both have peanuts and chocolate, but they taste nothing alike. And do Goobers have a thin candy shell on the outside?" Luke started to say something, but she cut him off. "No, they don't! They're _not_ the same." She sighed and tossed the box aside. 

"Well, eat a handful of Goobers with a handful of regular M&M's," he suggested. "Then everything will mix together and it'll taste like peanut M&M's."

Lorelai stared at him for several seconds with wide eyes, her mouth agape, shocked at the suggestion. Finally, she scoffed loudly, shook her head and muttered, "God, you just don't get it." She grabbed the Kit Kat and shoved the rest into her mouth.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You're right, I _don't_ get it. Maybe next time you should be more specific instead of just saying, 'Bring me home some chocolate.'"

Lorelai scoffed several times before finally exclaiming, "Oh my God, don't make this _my_ fault just because _you_ screwed up and didn't bring home what I wanted!"

"I brought home exactly what you wanted!" He picked up a couple packages of candy. "Look right here – you asked for chocolate, here's your stupid chocolate!" He dropped them into the pile on the bed.

"But you know that I love peanut M&M's, Luke!" Lorelai exclaimed, her nostrils flaring with anger. "Why would you go on a candy run and _not_ get peanut M&M's when you _know_ that I would more likely than not want some peanut M&M's? Because you don't _think!_" 

Luke groaned and threw his hands up in frustration. "Fine, you're right, it's all my fault." 

Lorelai pushed the candy aside, then climbed off the bed and grabbed her robe from the closet. "I'm taking a bath," she declared indignantly. She started to leave the room, then walked back to the bed and grabbed some of the candy. She shot Luke an evil look before she stormed to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Luke sighed and wearily rubbed his face, then slowly stood up and walked down the steps. 

Rory looked up from her book. "Everything okay?"

"Uh, they will be." Luke picked up his expectant father's book from the coffee table and sat down next to Rory. "As soon as I read up on how to deal with mood swings." 

* * *

On Friday night, Lorelai and Rory came out of the video store and walked quickly to the Jeep, both shivering in the cold air. Lorelai started the car and turned the heater on full-blast, then pulled down the street and stopped in front of the diner. "I'm gonna run in and see when Luke's coming home. He might want us to wait for him to start the movies."

"Because he's just dying to join in on our 'Best of Chevy Chase' marathon?" Rory rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."

Lorelai gasped. "Do not mock the importance of a Chevy Chase marathon or I'll never take you to Wally World."

"Okay, first off, Wally World's not real. And second, I'm not mocking it. I'm excited about it, I just don't think that Luke will be."

"I think he likes. . ." Lorelai's voice trailed off as she stared in through the diner window. "Huh."

"What?" Rory followed Lorelai's gaze into the diner, where Luke was sitting at the window table with a woman. "Who's that?"

"I don't know."

"One of Luke's friends?" Rory asked. 

"I don't know, I've never seen her before." Lorelai narrowed her eyes as she watched the two of them smiling and talking. "They look chummy."

"Yeah."

"I'll be right back." Lorelai climbed out of the Jeep and walked into the diner, straight over to their table. "Hey."

Luke and the woman both looked up, and Luke smiled. "Hey." 

Lorelai leaned down and kissed Luke, then rested a protective hand on his shoulder as she forced a smile toward the woman. "Hi, I'm Lorelai, also known as Luke's wife, also known as the woman carrying his child. And you are?"

The woman's eyes widened, slightly taken aback. "Oh, uh, Nicole Leahy, nice to meet you." She extended her hand, and Lorelai shook it.

"She's Taylor's lawyer," Luke explained. "They were going over some stuff for the soda shop."

Lorelai glanced at her watch. "Oh, I didn't think lawyers worked at six on a Friday night."

"Yes, well, we started at four, but dealing with Mr. Doose always tends to take a little longer than most other clients," Nicole said. 

"Speaking of which, where is Mr. Doose?" Lorelai asked, looking around. "'Cause I bet it'd probably be easier talking about the soda shop with him if you two were in the same room, huh?"

"Uh, he had to run home to get something," Luke said, narrowing his eyes at Lorelai's unfriendly tone. 

"Oh, so you came over to keep her company," Lorelai commented, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "How nice. I hope the other customers don't get jealous about the special attention Nicole's getting here."

"Well, I came over to make sure she wasn't violently coerced into being his lawyer," Luke said, "because I couldn't figure out why anyone would voluntarily take the job. And then we got to talking about Taylor. . ."

"And it didn't take long to see that your husband seems to harbor a bit of antipathy toward Mr. Doose," Nicole commented with an amused smirk. 

Lorelai pursed her lips and nodded. "That he does." She turned to Luke. "So, uh, I just stopped by to see if you were coming home soon, but. . .you seem pretty busy here, so. . ." She nodded toward Nicole. "Nice meeting you."

Nicole smiled. "Yes, same here."

Lorelai headed for the door, and after excusing himself from Nicole, Luke jumped up and followed her out onto the sidewalk. "Lorelai, wait a second."

Lorelai turned around to face him, but didn't say anything, just stared at him expectantly. 

Luke approached her with hesitance. "You're okay, right?"

Lorelai shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her. "I'm fine. I'm going home to watch movies with my daughter." 

Luke glanced at the Jeep and nodded toward Rory, who waved. Then he stepped closer to Lorelai and rubbed her arm. "Are you mad that I was sitting with her?"

Lorelai shook her head adamantly. "Nope, I'm not mad."

"Seems like you are."

Lorelai sighed. "Well, I'm not, I'm fine. You can sit with whoever you wanna sit with." She waved a hand toward the diner. "If you wanna keep the red-haired lawyer chick company, knock yourself out. I don't care." 

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yes, you do. But don't worry – I get it." 

Lorelai arched an eyebrow. "You _get it? _What exactly do you _get_?"

"I read about this," Luke said knowingly. "Pregnancy makes women emotional, and sometimes they feel a little insecure, which means that their jealousy is easier to set off. So seeing me talk to another woman is going to make you feel weird and protective and jealous. I get it."

Lorelai scoffed and glanced down at the ground. "Well, aren't you Mr. I-know-everything-about-pregnancy."

"I'm just saying, I understand why something like that might make you jealous, so there's no reason you have to pretend that you're not."

"I'm not jealous," she muttered in a less-than-convincing tone. "So you were sitting with some strange woman, who cares? I don't."

Luke tilted his head doubtfully. "I kinda think you do."

Lorelai sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, your confidence about my so-called jealousy is really cocky and annoying."

"Sorry, I'm just callin' it how I see it," Luke said. "But like I said, I get it, and it's no big deal." He pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back. "And anyway, she knew I was married. She told me she liked my wedding ring."

Lorelai pulled back and wrinkled her nose. "So. . .I can probably push aside the thought that she was in there trying to seduce you."

"Yup."

"Unless she's one of those trampy girls who likes to be the 'other woman' and she still flirted anyway."

"She wasn't flirting," he assured her. "And I don't really think I'm her type anyway."

Lorelai smiled and ran her hands over his muscular arms. "Luke, you have a body worthy of inclusion in a Fireman of the Month calendar. You're every woman's type." Lorelai glanced at Nicole through the front window. "What's with that voice? It's like a helium-balloon-sucking incident gone horribly wrong. Plus, she's kind of. . .mousy looking."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Stop, she's nice."

"I'm just saying, if you're gonna have another woman on the side, it should be someone prettier than me or else it's just not worth it."

"Guess that rules out my ever having another woman on the side."

Lorelai smiled. "Wow, check you out with the quick complimentary comebacks." Luke smirked and kissed her deeply. 

After a few seconds, Rory opened the door of the Jeep and called, "Okay, come on, can't you do that another time? I'm ready to watch the movies."

Lorelai pulled back from the kiss. "Gotta go watch some Chevy Chase," she said. "You coming home soon? Should we wait for you?"

"Nah, you start. I'll probably be 'bout an hour."

Lorelai glanced at the diner window. "During which time you will not be cheating on me with the mousy lawyer chick, right?"

"Right."

"Mmkay, good." She kissed him goodbye. "Bye." 

"Bye." Luke watched until she climbed into the jeep and pulled away, then he walked back into the diner.

* * * 

A few nights later, Lorelai was sitting at a sewing machine in the corner of Miss Patty's dance studio, helping with the costume fittings for the annual holiday procession. The studio was loud and crowded with townspeople. 

Just as Lorelai finished hemming a shirt, Sookie brought over another one to be altered. "Got another one for ya," Sookie said. "You sure you're okay? Not too tired?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup, I'm fine. I've got the easy job, I get to sit down the whole time."

Sookie sat down next to Lorelai as she started working on the next costume. "So, go on, finish the story."

"Oh, right. Where did I leave off?"

"Something about Luke's shoes."

"Right. So, like I said, I was sleeping when he got home last night, and when I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I find out the hard way that he left his shoes _right_ in front of the nightstand."

Sookie gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth. "Oh no! Did you fall?"

"No, but I stumbled and slammed my knee into the nightstand, and let me tell you, it was painful." She frowned and reached down to rub her bruised knee. 

Sookie grimaced with sympathy pain. "Aw, honey, I'm sorry."

Lorelai waved her off. "Not your fault. It was Luke's."

"And did you let him know it?"

"Of course. As soon as I got hurt, I screamed an unrepeatable word and that woke him up," Lorelai said. "And then I went into a ten minute tirade about how he should be more careful and how I could've gotten hurt much worse and all this stuff. It was like 2 in the morning and I was really going at him."

"Understandably so. I'd have done the same thing," Sookie said. "And what did he do? Did he apologize at least?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, he said it was late when he got home and he was tired and he'd just kicked his shoes off without thinking and he was so sorry and it would never happen again, blah blah blah, all that stuff. And he got out of bed and hugged me and asked if I needed ice for my knee and everything. He was so sweet." Lorelai frowned. "I could tell he felt really bad, and then that made _me_ feel bad for going nuts on him. And then I had a sort of emotional breakdown."

"Emotional breakdown?" Sookie asked with wide eyes. "That sounds kinda scary. What happened?"

"Well, we were just standing there hugging, and I'm feeling terrible for screaming at him, and you know I've been way overly emotional lately, so I suddenly start crying and I start apologizing for everything," Lorelai explained. "Not just for last night, but all the other times I've been moody and cranky and yelled at him and snapped at him and blamed him for stupid stuff. . ."

"Like the peanut M&M's incident?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, exactly." Lorelai sighed and leaned back in her chair. "And he said that it's no big deal, that he understands that it's from the pregnancy and all that, which of course makes me cry even more because I start thinking about how great he is and how lucky I am to have him and everything and. . ." Lorelai shook her head. "It was just a very emotional few minutes there."

Sookie patted her on the arm. "Yeah, sounds like it." The two of them continued talking for a few minutes, then Sookie left to go prepare more costumes for alterations. 

A few minutes after that, Kirk walked over holding out his recently-mended cloak. "Excuse me, Lorelai. I was hoping you could redo this."

"Why, what's wrong with it?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, I just realized that when Sookie measured me earlier, I was wearing these shoes." He gestured to the worn-looking loafers on his feet.

"So what, Kirk?" Lorelai asked. 

"Well, these are not the shoes that I'll be wearing when I walk in the processional. The ones I'll be wearing make me about an inch taller, and so the bottom of the cloak will not lie exactly three inches above the ground like I'd prefer."

Lorelai stared at him for a moment in disbelief. "So, let me get this straight. You want me to take that cloak, undo the stitching around the bottom – the stitching that I just did not twenty minutes ago – and then re-stitch it all the way around again so that it's an inch lower?"

"Yes, that's right." He held the cloak out toward her. "Thanks."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and pointed toward the door. "Get out of here, Kirk."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "But I can't wear – "

"Yes, you can, and you will," Lorelai told him. "Now get away from me before I throw this sewing machine at you. And you definitely don't want that to happen because if Luke finds out that I picked up something that heavy, which could possibly cause injury to our unborn child, he will ask me why I did it, and I'll have to explain to him that _you_ were bothering me, and I don't think you wanna find out how he'd react to that, do you?"

Kirk quickly shook his head. "No, not particularly." 

"Didn't think so."

Kirk glanced down at the cloak. "Maybe I could fix it myself."

"Maybe," Lorelai agreed. "Or an alternate plan could be to forget about the freaking one-inch difference because it's an incredibly stupid reason to want to re-hem a cloak." She smiled. "That's just my personal opinion."

Kirk frowned and walked away, clutching his cloak to his chest. Lorelai returned her attention to the sewing machine. 

Not a minute later, Luke walked in and she quickly abandoned her sewing task. "Hey."

Luke gestured toward the studio door. "Okay, I just passed Kirk outside – why did he tell me that he didn't make you pick up a sewing machine?"

"Long story. Come here." She grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him down into a kiss. "Hi."

"Hey." He sat down next to her. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. Tell me what the doctor said."

"He said the shoulder healed well, but that I still need to keep up the arm exercises for a few weeks to strengthen the rotator cuff."

Lorelai nodded. "That's exactly what I was going to tell you, that your, uh, rotating cuff thing could probably be strengthened a little more."

Luke smirked. "Right."

"I have an intricate working knowledge of the medical world," she told him. "Did he say you can drive?"

"Yup, so then on the way home I stopped by to see Gypsy," Luke said. "She said she's waiting on a couple of parts, but that the truck would probably be done by next week."

"It's taking a long time," Lorelai commented. "It's been over a month."

"Well, they're not used to handling something that severe. They're used to dents in the fender and changing the oil and fixing broken windshield wipers."

"True."

"So. . .that's all with that." Luke patted her on the leg. "How's your knee? I'm so sorry about – "

"I know, I know." Lorelai smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "It's okay, it's just a little bruise. It'll go away."

"I still feel bad."

Lorelai waved him off. "Simple mistake, forget about it."

"Yeah, well, it's kinda hard to forget about something that your wife screamed at you for twenty minutes about in the middle of the night."

"Twenty? I think it was only ten."

"Definitely felt longer."

"I'm sorry about the freak out," Lorelai said. "I'm sorry for _all_ the freak outs. I can't help it. It's the hormones, hon."

"I know, it's okay." He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. 

They were quiet for a minute as they watched the people around them, and Lorelai's eyes landed on the small Christmas tree in the corner of the room. "Luke, when are we gonna get a tree?"

Luke groaned. "Not this again."

"Yes, this again. You keep putting it off," Lorelai argued, sitting up. "First you're too busy, then you're too tired, then you say it's too cold out. You still haven't gotten the boxes of decorations out of the attic for me. Christmas is two weeks away and our house is completely decoration-less."

"Just the way I like it."

Lorelai frowned. "Come on, Luke. I'm tired of driving through the neighborhood and seeing everyone else's decorated houses and then pulling up to our lonely naked house. It makes me sad." She gave him her best pout.

Luke sighed. "Fine, we'll take care of that stuff this weekend, okay? The tree, the decorations, the stupid Christmas lights – everything."

Lorelai grinned. "Promise?"

"Yes." Luke kissed her, then stood up. "I'm gonna go. I'll see you at home."

"Okay."

"How much longer you think you're gonna be?"

Lorelai glanced down at her watch. "I'll probably be home around eight."

"Eight. . ." Luke glanced down at his own watch. "So about an hour. Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye." Luke walked out of the dance studio and over to the diner. Rory was waiting out front by Luke's old pickup truck, the one that was now being used by Jess. 

Rory smiled and held up a set of keys. "Got 'em."

"Good."

Rory tossed him the keys and they both climbed into the truck. 

"She's gonna be home around 8," Luke said as he started the truck. 

Rory glanced at the clock. "Oh, that doesn't give us much time."

"It shouldn't take that long to pick out a tree," Luke said as he pulled out into the street. "If she was coming with us, then yes, we could be there all night while she examined them all for the perfect one, but between the two of us, it shouldn't take that long."

"Good point." Rory smiled. "This is gonna be a good surprise. She was just saying this afternoon how she's tired of you putting off getting the tree and she was ready to just ask Pete from the nursery to help us bring one home like last year."

"Well, I just told her in there that we'd do it this weekend, so I think she'll be pretty shocked to come home tonight to a tree in the living room. She'll probably be too tired to decorate it tonight, but at least it'll be there for when she's ready."

"Yup." They were both quiet for a moment, then Rory asked, "Have you gotten Mom any presents yet?"

Luke nodded. "A couple."

"Anything big?"

"Well. . .she mentioned a few weeks ago that she wanted a rocking chair. You know, to rock the baby."

Rory smiled. "Aw, so you went out and got one?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, a really nice wooden one."

"She'll love that, Luke," Rory said. "That's a great gift."

"Thanks."

"Where is it now?"

"Still at the store," Luke replied. "I'm gonna pick it up next week and store it at the diner 'til Christmas."

"Well, try to make sure no one sees you bring it in," Rory warned him. "'Cause then someone might ask her about it and spoil the surprise."

"Good point, thanks."  


"And if you're gonna bring any presents into the house, make sure you hide them well or she'll find 'em. She's a snooper." 

Luke smirked. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know." 

"Hm, okay. . ." Rory thought for a moment. "She has a girl crush on Drew Barrymore."

Luke let out a laugh as he gave Rory a confused sideways glance. "What?"

Rory smiled and nodded. "Yup. Did you know that?"

Luke shook his head. "Uh, no – she never mentioned it." 

"Well, girls don't usually talk about their girl crushes to guys. But it's true."

"I'm not even sure I know what a girl crush is."

"It's not like a. . .you know, physical attraction thing," Rory said, shaking her head. "It's like an admiration/fascination thing, like looking up to the popular girl in high school or something like that." 

"Ah, got it." Luke thought for a moment, then remarked, "So her love of that movie she always watches with Drew about the high school kids. . ."

"Is not solely based on the entertaining eye candy of the Alias guy," Rory finished. "That certainly doesn't hurt, but it's mostly due to her fascination with Drew."

"Interesting."

"Haven't you noticed how we have almost every Drew movie on tape or DVD?" Rory asked.

Luke shrugged. "Not really."

"One of the gifts I'm getting her for Christmas is _The Wedding Singer _on DVD," Rory said. "Because we used to have it on tape but she wore it out from watching it so much, and we never got around to buying it again. She wanted to steal it from the video store when we rented it a few months ago, but I talked her out of it." 

Luke shook his head with an amused smirk. "A girl crush on Drew Barrymore."

"Yup. She has other girl crushes, too, but a woman deserves some privacy."

"Wow, learn something new about your wife every day, huh?"

Rory giggled. "You can't tell anyone, though. Not everyone likes their girl crushes to be known."

"Do you have any?" Luke asked. 

"Like I said, not everyone likes their girl crushes to be known," Rory repeated with a smirk.

Luke smiled and nodded. "Okay, got it." He pulled the truck into the parking lot of the nursery. "Okay, let's go pick out a Christmas tree."

* * *

To be continued . . . 

Thanks so much for reading and for the feedback, I really appreciate it! And I also appreciate all the baby name suggestions, but I've pretty much narrowed it down to a few select choices already. :)


	13. Part 13

"It's Still There – part 13"

* * *

It took Luke and Rory about fifteen minutes to pick out a Christmas tree that they were sure would meet Lorelai's approval. After it was paid for and loaded into the bed of the truck, they headed home.

At the house, they set the tree up in the living room near the front window, then stepped back to admire it. 

"Looks good," Rory commented. 

Luke nodded in agreement. "Yup." 

"She's gonna love this tree, it's perfect." Rory glanced at the clock. "And we finished with twenty minutes to spare."

He gestured toward the steps. "What do you say we get the Christmas stuff down from the attic? She's been asking me about that stuff, too."

"Okay." 

They walked upstairs and Luke pulled the attic ladder down from the hallway ceiling. He climbed up into the attic and searched it for a few minutes before he finally found a collection of boxes filled with holiday decorations and lights. He handed them down to Rory, then climbed out of the attic and put the ladder back up. They brought the boxes downstairs and stacked them near the tree, then sat down on the couch and watched TV while they waited for Lorelai.

When they heard her pull up at a few minutes past eight, they turned and stared at the front entryway, waiting for her to walk in. When the door opened, Lorelai immediately called, "I'm home!"

"We're right in here, Mom," Rory replied.

Lorelai dropped her things by the door. "Man, it's freezing out there." She hung up her jacket, then walked into the living room. "Is Jess here? His truck's. . ." Her eyes widened when she saw the tree, and she let out a surprised gasp. "Oh my God! What is that?"

Luke stood up and walked to the other side of the couch. "It's a Christmas tree." 

"But where did it come from?" 

"Luke and I just got it tonight," Rory said. "You kept asking him about it, so he wanted to surprise you."

Lorelai cocked her head to the side and smiled at him. "Aw, you're so sweet." She walked over and kissed him, then wrinkled her nose. "And now I feel really bad for whining about it earlier."

Luke shrugged it off. "You weren't whining."

Lorelai walked over and inhaled the scent of the tree. "Mm, that's one of the best smells of Christmas."

Rory stood up and walked over to it. "It's a good tree, too, huh? Nice full branches, perfect height."

Lorelai nodded and stepped back to view it. "Yeah, it's great. It definitely gets the Lorelai seal of approval."

"Good." Rory gestured to the boxes. "We also got the Christmas decorations down from the attic."

Lorelai rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Ooh, good. Now I don't have to wait for the weekend to start decorating like I thought I would. Let's do it tomorrow. We'll get pizza for dinner, put on some Christmas music, do the tree, decorate the house, make a night out of it. Who's in?"

Rory raised her hands in the air. "Me, me, me!" They both looked at Luke. "Luke?"

"You don't have to work late, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope." 

"Good. Then I declare tomorrow to be 'Decorate the House' night."

"Okay, good." Rory started walking toward her bedroom. "I'll be in my room."

Lorelai walked over to Luke, who wrapped his arms around her waist. She stroked the stubble on his cheeks and kissed him. "I love my tree, it's perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He glanced at it. "I haven't had a Christmas tree in a long time."

Lorelai turned to look at it. "Aw, really?"

"Well, not one like this." He gestured at its height. "Rachel and I got one of those little trees one year."

"The kind that holds like 5 ornaments?"

"Yup. We put it on the coffee table. It was the only indication of Christmas in the whole apartment."

"Sounds pathetic."

"It was."

Lorelai smiled and patted him on the chest. "Well, this year you'll get to experience Christmas the Gilmore way, and I have a very good feeling that you're gonna like it."

"Good. But I draw the line at singing Christmas carols."

Lorelai frowned. "Not even _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?_"

"Nope."

"_Silent Night?_"

"No."

__

"All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "No, but if you stop right now, maybe I'll hum along to _Jingle Bells._"

Lorelai smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Deal."

* * *

The next night, Luke arrived home with a pizza and brought it into the kitchen. He walked to the doorway of Rory's bedroom and saw Rory inside looking through a stack of CDs. "Hey."

Rory glanced up. "Hey." She inhaled deeply and smiled. "Yum, I smell pizza."

"It's on the table." Luke shoved his hands into his pockets. "What are you doing?"

"We can't find our Partridge Family Christmas album, so Mom's making me check through my CD's for it even though I'm _sure_ I don't have it."

"Oh. Where is she?"

"Upstairs changing out of her work clothes."

Luke nodded a thank you and headed toward the living room. He stopped near the staircase and eyed the fireplace for a moment, then spent a few minutes lighting a fire before he walked upstairs. 

The bedroom door was half closed, and as he pushed it open, he announced, "Pizza's here. And I just lit a – " His voice trailed off when he saw Lorelai, clad in a navy blue bikini, pulling her hair into a ponytail in front of the mirror.

Lorelai heard him enter and turned around, smiling. "Hey." She walked over and kissed him. "How was your day?" 

Luke stepped back and narrowed his eyes at her outfit. "What is that?"

Lorelai glanced down at it with a casual shrug. "A bikini." 

"It's the middle of December."

"I know, but the other day when I was going through my drawers, I found this stuffed in the back, and I realized that I didn't wear it at all this past summer," Lorelai explained. "And I won't be able to fit into it _this_ summer, and I didn't want it to have to wait until the summer of 2004 to be worn because it might get all depressed and think I don't love it. So I decided to wear it tonight because making it a part of something as important as 'decorate the house' night will definitely let it know that I appreciate it."

Luke shook his head slightly, then rolled his eyes. "Geez." He ran his hands down her arms and rested them on her waist. "Okay, I'm gonna ignore the fact that you're wearing it for an insane reason because no man should complain when his wife wants to walk around the house like this." 

Lorelai smiled. "Just sit back and enjoy the view, my friend." She gently pressed her lips against his. As he deepened the kiss, he ran his hands up and down the sides of her midsection, then gripped her ribcage and pulled her closer. When she felt his thumbs graze the sides of her bikini top, Lorelai quickly pulled back from the kiss and pushed him away. "Luke, do _not_ touch them," she warned him. "I will rip your fingers off one by one, I'm serious."

Luke held up his hands innocently. "I'm not touching 'em. I know they're off limits for the time being."

"Then why were you starting to make a move?"

"It was an involuntary thing. Once the fingers get that close, they get a mind of their own." He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

"Mmhmm," she muttered through the kiss. She ran her hands up over his back and through his hair, knocking his cap to the floor. They made their way over to the bed and slowly lowered themselves onto it, not breaking the connection of their lips.

They finally broke apart, both panting softly to catch their breaths, and they lay on their sides staring at each other. As he gently stroked her thigh with his fingertips, Lorelai watched his eyes glaze over the curves of her body. After they had lingered on her chest for a few seconds, she smiled and lifted his chin until he met her gaze. "I'm up here."

Luke smirked. "Sorry, still getting used to 'em."

"The book didn't lie when it said they'd get noticeably bigger." Lorelai rolled onto her back and put her arms behind her head. "And they're supposed to get even bigger in the third trimester."

Luke propped himself up on his elbow and ran his hand over her stomach. "You know, men get a raw deal in this situation."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they get bigger, but we can't touch 'em. What kind of sick conspiracy is that?"

Lorelai let out a laugh, then smiled at him amusedly. "You know, it's so cute how underneath all your sweetness and sensitivity and maturity, you still think like a guy."

"I'm just saying."

"Well, it sucks for us, too. You think we like having one of our major erogenous zones off limits?" 

Luke shrugged. "Didn't really think about that."

Lorelai wagged her finger at him. "'Cause you only think of how it affects _you, _Mr. Self-Involved."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, and you're the president of the Putting Yourself Before Others Club? Please."

"Hey, be nice." She nudged him with her elbow. "And anyway, you'll be able to touch 'em eventually. They won't be sore forever, thank God."

"Good to hear." Luke kissed her, then climbed off the bed. "Let's go downstairs. Pizza's getting cold."

Lorelai raised her arms in the air. "Help." 

Luke pulled her up off the bed and the two of them walked downstairs. Rory had brought the pizza box to the coffee table and was already eating a slice. Christmas music poured out of the stereo speakers.

"This isn't The Partridge Family," Lorelai complained as she sat down next to Rory.

"I couldn't find it," Rory replied. "Why the heck are you wearing a bikini?"

"So it wouldn't feel bad," Lorelai replied. "I hadn't worn it in awhile."

"Oh, got it." Rory nodded understandably as if that explanation made perfect sense.

They ate dinner, then cleared off the coffee table and lined the boxes of Christmas decorations on it. Lorelai opened the first one and pulled out several tangled strands of lights. "These go on the porch rail," she declared, handing them to Luke. "You can be in charge of that."

"Of course _I_ get the job that requires standing out in 20-degree weather," Luke muttered.

"And I suppose that instead you want your pregnant wife out there in the cold?" Lorelai challenged him. "Or maybe Rory should do it since she has that really protective half-ounce of body fat to keep her warm. Or no, maybe she and I should – "

"Okay, okay," he interrupted. "Forget it, I'll take care of it." He sat down in the armchair to start untangling the lights.

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you." She pulled out another set of lights and handed them to Rory. "Here, let's start untangling these to put on the tree."

* * *

An hour later, Lorelai was lying on the couch when Luke walked in through the side door. "Okay, lights are done out there. Man, is it cold out." He walked over to the fireplace to warm up, and glanced at her over his shoulder. "You feel okay?"

"Yeah." Lorelai gestured toward the kitchen. "Paris called and needed Rory's help with something, so we're taking a little break from decorating."

"Oh." Luke glanced at the tree, which was still bare except for the lights. "Where's all the other stuff?"

"We didn't wanna put any ornaments on until you could do it with us," Lorelai explained. "So we worked on the room while we were waiting for you to finish up outside."

Luke glanced around the room. There was garland on the banister, a stuffed Santa Claus on the mantle, some figurines shaped like reindeer and snowmen on the end tables, holiday stickers on the windows, and a giant plastic Santa Claus head hanging on the back of the side door.

Luke nodded approvingly. "I was expecting it to look much worse, but this isn't too bad."

"We're only halfway done," she informed him.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Knew it was too good to be true."

Rory walked into the room and hung up the cordless phone. "Sorry, no more interruptions."

"Good." Lorelai stood up and clapped her hands excitedly. "Let's get started on the tree."

* * *

Over a week later, on the Saturday before Christmas, Lorelai was watching Sookie bake cookies for the procession after-party the next night. Lorelai walked over and peered into Sookie's fridge. "I'm craving something but I don't know what it is."

"Okay, isn't a craving when you see or think of a food and then you want it really badly?" Sookie asked. "So how can you be craving something without knowing what it is?"

Lorelai shrugged and shut the fridge. "It's just like when you know in the back of your mind that there's something you forgot to do but you can't remember what." She sat down at the table and clutched her stomach. "I'm getting this feeling that there's something out there I really wanna eat, but I don't know what it is. I hope I figure it out soon, though, because I hate the feeling of not knowing." 

"Ooh, I hate that feeling, too," Sookie sympathized. "Like yesterday I went out to buy stuff for the cookies, and I'm standing at the checkout counter and I _know_ there's something I forgot to pick up, but I can't figure out what it is. There's just this feeling I have. So I'm running over all the recipes in my head, trying to make sure I have everything so that I don't have to make another trip, and for the life of me, I could not think of what was missing."

"Did you ever figure it out?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup. The minute I walked through the door, I remembered what I needed to buy."

"What was it?"

"Deodorant."

Lorelai smiled amusedly. "Invented a new cookie that makes you smell good?"

Sookie giggled. "That'd be something, huh? There are already tons of foods that make you smell _bad_, there should be more that make you smell _good_."

"Yes, there should be," Lorelai agreed. "So, did you go back and get some deodorant?"

"I sent Jackson to get it," Sookie replied. "I didn't feel like going back out."

"Well, that's what husbands are for," Lorelai said. "Speaking of which, Luke finally got his truck back."

"Oh, yeah, I meant to ask you that. I saw it in front of the diner this morning. It's all better now?"

"Yup. Took awhile, but it's finally back to normal. Luke's so excited to have it back. You know how much he loves that thing."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Men and their trucks. They form some kind of special bond with those things." She slid two pans of cookies into the oven, then sat down across from Lorelai. "Okay, that was the last batch. After they're done baking, you wanna come shopping with me? I have a few more presents to get."

"You're not done yet? Christmas is in four days."

"Hi, last year you dragged me out shopping on Christmas Eve," Sookie reminded her. 

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, but that's normal for me. You're usually done ahead of time."

"I know, but I got started late this year, so I still have a few more things I wanna get for Jackson. Wanna come help me pick out some manly gifts?"

"Surely. I wanna look around for a couple more things, too." Lorelai was quiet for a moment, then gasped. "It's cheesecake!" 

Sookie stared at her, confused. "What's cheesecake?"

"It's what I'm craving, cheesecake! Do you have any?"

Sookie frowned. "No, I don't think so. Ooh, I have Swiss cheese, though. It doesn't taste like cheesecake, but it's still good. And it has holes in it. Foods with holes are always fun to eat because you can swing it around on your finger first, really work up an appetite, or you could - "

"Uh, no thanks, Sookie," Lorelai interrupted. 

"Sorry. I wish I could satisfy your craving."

"That's okay. Maybe we can stop at Weston's when we go out," Lorelai suggested. "Do you mind?"

"Nope, that sounds good. I could go for some cheesecake myself."

"Okay." Lorelai stared down at the table for a few seconds, tapping her fingers aimlessly, then brought her gaze up to Sookie. "Hm."

"What?"

"Now I'm kinda craving Swiss cheese."

Sookie smiled and retrieved the cheese from the fridge. "Here."

"Thanks." 

* * *

The next night, Lorelai and Rory were sitting on the bench in the gazebo waiting for the procession to start. Lorelai glanced toward the market and saw Taylor out front talking to his lawyer. 

"Geez, that woman has the strangest hours," Lorelai commented.

"Who?" Rory followed her gaze. "Oh. What's her name?"

"Nicole, I think. Do lawyers usually work on Sunday nights?" 

"Maybe she's not working," Rory suggested. "Maybe it's just a casual visit. Maybe she came to see the procession."

"I don't like her. And I keep seeing her everywhere I go."

"You've only seen her twice," Rory pointed out. 

Lorelai shook her head. "Nuh uh, this is the third time. The first time was in the diner, and the second time was when I passed her a few days ago on the sidewalk. She gave me one of those quick, fake 'I don't like you but I'm smiling like I do' smiles, and then she glanced down at the ground really fast like she couldn't bear to look at me." Lorelai scoffed. "Can you believe that?"

"Maybe she was in a hurry," Rory suggested.

"Or maybe she's just a snob who hates me for no reason whatsoever."

"You mean like the way that you seem to hate _her_ for no reason whatsoever?"

Lorelai ignored her. "Or maybe she's mad at me because I'm with Luke and I get to have his baby, not her."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt that she's thought of having Luke's baby."

Lorelai scoffed. "Are you saying my husband is not desired by other women? Because I'll have you know, he's a damn good catch."

"I'm sure he is, but I'm just saying, she knows he's married and everything, so she's probably not, uh, desiring him. She looks capable of finding her own _single_ man."

"Yeah, well, she better do something with that hair first," Lorelai muttered. "No man's gonna wanna be seen with that."

"Stop, her hair's fine."

"Come on, whose side are you on?"

"The bitter, emotionally-unstable pregnant woman's side, but I'm trying to be positive so that she magically transforms into a non-bitter, sane pregnant woman."

"Well, I appreciate your efforts even if they're not amounting to much."

"Good."

A few minutes later, the procession was about to start, and they stood up for a better view. "God, that's so beautiful," Lorelai said, staring up at the brightly-lit tree next to the gazebo. 

"Yeah, nothing compares to the town at Christmas time. The decorations, the lights, the people. It's so. . .Norman Rockwell."

"Yes, it is." Lorelai paused a moment. "We have this same conversation every year, don't we?"

"Yes, we do."

"Does that make us boring, that we reuse conversations annually?"

"No, it's like a little tradition."

"And who are we to stop tradition?"

"Exactly." 

Lorelai saw people starting to walk out of the dance studio. "Oh, here they come." 

  
The procession winded slowly through the town square and ended with a holiday sing-along in front of the church. After a while, Lorelai and Rory decided to go get some refreshments at the after-procession holiday party. 

On the way to the dance studio, Lorelai glanced at the diner. "Luke said he'd try to come by the party if the diner wasn't busy."

"Which it probably won't be since everyone'll be eating the free food at the party," Rory pointed out.

"I think I'm gonna stop in and see if he'll come out for a little bit. Come with me." Lorelai linked her arm through Rory's and they walked toward the diner. 

Up ahead, they saw Nicole walking in the same direction. "Looks like your friend's heading there, too," Rory commented.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Great. Geez, does she have to go everywhere I go? I think she's stalking me."

"Uh, she's ahead of us, Mom. So it's more like _we're_ stalking _her_."

"Maybe she's one of those psychic stalkers and she knew I was heading to the diner." 

"Maybe."

They reached the diner a few seconds after Nicole had gone inside, and Lorelai said, "Let's wait for her to come out." 

"Why?"

"Because if I run into her out here on the sidewalk, it'll just be a fake smile and nod greeting. But in a setting like the diner, she's more apt to try to engage me in stupid small talk that I don't wanna be engaged in."

"I thought you said that she doesn't like you, so why would she want to make small talk with you?"

"That's the point. Not only would it be stupid small talk, it would be the _fake_ kind of stupid small talk that she feels she _has_ to make so that it doesn't look like she doesn't like me. And that's the worst kind of small talk there is."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever you say. We'll wait out here in the freezing cold just so you can avoid small talk." She sighed and zipped up her coat all the way. 

They lingered out on the sidewalk, watching Nicole through the window. She was the only customer inside. She had walked up to Luke at the counter and the two of them were talking. After a minute, Nicole reached into her purse, pulled out a white envelope, and handed it to Luke. 

"What's that?" Rory asked.

Lorelai's eyes narrowed with confusion. "I don't know."

They watched Luke look in the envelope, then smile and say something to Nicole. He stuck the envelope under the counter, then pulled out his wallet and handed her some money, which she slipped into her purse.

"Uh, why did he just give her money?" Rory asked.

"Hon, if I knew the answer to that, my jaw wouldn't have just dropped to the sidewalk." 

Nicole sat down at the counter, and as Luke turned to get her a cup of coffee, they continued to talk. Lorelai stared at them for a moment, then grabbed Rory's arm and pulled her over to the side of the building so they couldn't be seen. 

Lorelai put her hands on Rory's shoulders. "Okay, what the heck was that?"

"I don't know."

"Did we just witness a drug deal? Is my husband buying drugs from the mousy, bad-haired lawyer lady?"

Rory shrugged doubtfully. "Do drugs usually come in envelopes like that?"

"How should I know?" Lorelai bit nervously on her thumbnail. 

"Well, maybe it was something about the soda shop," Rory suggested. "Taylor probably made a list of how business neighbors should treat each other or something, and then had his lawyer deliver it to Luke." 

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "First off, Luke wouldn't have given her money for it, and second, if that was it, he would've tore it up right away."

"True." Rory thought for a moment, then gasped. "Oh, I know! Maybe Luke was buying information. I mean, she's a lawyer, right? So maybe he needed some kind of research done and she did it for him, and he paid her for it."

"What kind of information would Luke need?"

"I don't know." Rory shrugged. "Maybe he needed her to get him the health inspection report for Al's Pancake World so that Luke could examine it for errors and use it to shut Al down, thus eliminating some of his major competition."

Lorelai shook her head. "I highly doubt it. " She sighed and stared down at the ground. 

After a few moments, Rory glanced toward the dance studio. "You wanna just go to the party?"

"No, I wanna go in there." Lorelai started walking toward the diner entrance, and Rory followed her.

As they entered, the jingle of the bell on the door made Luke and Nicole both look up from their conversation. Upon seeing Lorelai, Luke swallowed hard and took a quick step back from the counter, as if trying to distance himself from Nicole. "Lorelai. . .Rory."

"You remembered our names, we're touched." Lorelai walked to the counter while Rory waited near the door. Lorelai glanced at Nicole, who was suddenly fascinated with her cup of coffee, staring at it like it was about to perform a trick. Lorelai brought her gaze back to Luke. "What's up?"

Luke shoved his hands nervously in his pockets. "Oh, nothing. Just. . .you know. . .working." He nodded toward Nicole. "Uh, you remember Taylor's lawyer Nicole, right?"

Lorelai pursed her lips and gave Nicole a sideways glance. "Yeah, vaguely. Hi."

"Hello." Nicole smiled politely, then glanced back down at the cup. 

"So, are you coming out to the party?" Lorelai asked Luke. "We're heading over there now."

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'll meet you there in a little while," Luke said. "I have a couple things to do around here first."

Lorelai glanced warily between Luke and Nicole, then slowly nodded. "Okay. I'll see you over there."

Luke nodded. "Okay." He shifted his feet uncomfortably and took another step back.

Lorelai hesitated a moment, wanting to say more, then decided against it and walked away from the counter. Rory followed her out the door, and they started walking toward the dance studio.

"Mom, I'm sure it's nothing," Rory said. 

"I can't wait to have some of Sookie's cookies," Lorelai muttered.

"He'll probably tell you about it later."

"She made this one batch that's dipped in chocolate and then covered with sprinkles," Lorelai continued. "It looked really good."

"I mean, you didn't even ask him about the exchange we saw, so it's not like he's lying about it or something. If you had asked him about it and he had denied it, then you'd have something to be mad about."

"How can you go wrong with sprinkles, right?"  


"I mean, he'll probably – "

"Rory, stop." Lorelai sighed and stopped walking. "I don't wanna talk about it now, okay? Did you not get the picture when I ignored you the first three times?"

"I just don't want you to get all upset about something that might be nothing."

"I'm not upset. Do I look upset?"

Rory stared at her for a moment. "Kind of."

"Well, the glare of the twinkle lights must be affecting your vision because I'm not upset. Now can we please just go have fun at the party?" 

Rory nodded, and they resumed walking to the dance studio. They went inside and made their way through the crowd over to the refreshment table. They piled up their plates full of cookies, then walked over to the corner of the room to eat. 

After a few minutes of them eating in silence, Lane walked over. "Hey guys."

Rory smiled. "Hey."

"Hi," Lorelai mumbled through her mouthful of food.

Lane stole a cookie from Rory's plate and took a bite. "How's it going? You guys all set for Christmas?"

Rory nodded. "Pretty much. And we're excited because we heard it's supposed to snow on Christmas Eve and all day Wednesday."

"Oh, neat. Gotta love a white Christmas, huh?" 

Lorelai nodded, chain-eating cookies like there was no tomorrow.

Lane eyed her for a second, then asked Rory, "Is she okay?"

Lorelai quickly chewed the food in her mouth, then declared, "Oh, yeah, I'm absolutely perfect. Oh, wait, there's a possibility that my husband is using drugs, but other than that, yeah, everything's great." She shoved another cookie into her mouth.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Geez, he's not using drugs." She took Lorelai's plate of cookies and handed it to Lane. "Hold these, please." 

"Hey, I'm not done!" Lorelai whined.

Rory walked Lorelai to the door and pointed toward the diner. "Go talk to Luke, get this all cleared up."

Lorelai folded her arms across her chest. "I don't wanna talk to him. Did you see how uncomfortable he looked when we were in there? He wouldn't have looked that way if he wasn't guilty of something."

"Mom, you can speculate all you want, but it won't help anything until you talk to him about it. Just go ask him what's going on."

"But – "

"Go!" Rory gave her a small push out the door.

Lorelai gasped. "Hasn't your mother ever told you not to push a woman in heels? You might scuff them up."

  
Rory waved her off and went back into the dance studio. Lorelai sighed and started walking toward the diner.

* * * 

To be continued. . .

Okay, I've been working hard on the story the last few days in the hopes that I'd be able to post two chapters this weekend, but unfortunately I don't think the next one will be finished in time. It _is_ halfway done, however, so it should probably be up by the middle of the week. Thanks so much to everyone for all the nice feedback. You guys are so sweet, and all of your kind words of support are very much appreciated. :)


	14. Part 14

"It's Still There – part 14"

* * *

Lorelai walked into the diner and it was empty, so she stuck her head through the kitchen doorway looking for Luke. The only person back there was one of the weekend chefs, but when asked, he didn't know where Luke was either. 

Lorelai checked the storage room, but it was empty, so she headed up the staircase to see if he had gone upstairs for something. As she walked down the hallway toward the apartment, the door opened and Luke walked out. 

"There you are," Lorelai said from down the hall.

Her voice startled him and he jumped. "Lorelai. God, you scared me. What are you doing up here?"

"Looking for you," she replied as she walked up to him. "I need to talk to you."

Luke quickly pulled the apartment door shut, then put his arm around her and led her down the hall. "Okay, let's go downstairs and talk."

"What were you doing in there?" Lorelai asked.

Luke half-shrugged. "Oh, uh. . .just . . .you know, checking on Jess."

Lorelai stopped walking and eyed him curiously. "You're lying. Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying."

"Now you're lying about the lying," Lorelai declared. "I know you, Luke. I can tell when you're lying. What are you hiding in the apartment?" She gasped. "Nicole's in there, isn't she?"

Luke narrowed his eyes. "What? No."

"She is! You bought drugs from her and then you brought her up here to try them out together! Oh my God – is she in there passed out on the floor from an overdose?"

"No one's in there but Jess." Luke shook his head with confusion. "But wait, what are you talking about? I bought drugs from her?"

"Rory and I saw the little exchange you two had down in the diner earlier," Lorelai said accusingly. "She gave you an envelope or something and you gave her money. What the hell was that all about?" 

Luke's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced down at the floor. 

Lorelai sighed. "Luke, just tell me what's going on so I can stop all these crazy thoughts about what it _could_ be about."

He shrugged. "Nothing. It was nothing."

"No, I may not have the best eyes in the world, but I know the difference between nothing and something, and this definitely looked like _something_."

"Well, it's nothing for you to be concerned about."

Lorelai stared at him with pursed lips. "That's all you're gonna say about it, that it's nothing for me to be concerned about?"

Luke nodded.

"Uh huh. . .okay. . .well. . ." Lorelai clasped her hands together and forced a smile. "You know what? Um, I kinda don't wanna be near you right now, so I'll see you later." She started to walk away, but he gently grabbed a hold of her arm. 

"Lorelai, come on," Luke said. "It's nothing for you to worry about, why can't you accept that and let it go?"

Lorelai pulled her arm out of his grasp. "I just really don't like that you're keeping this from me, whatever the hell is it."

"And I really don't like that you're bugging me about it," he retorted. "I told you it's nothing for you to worry about, why can't you just trust me and forget it?"

Lorelai scoffed. "So if you saw me do some kind of weird money/envelope exchange with some guy, you wouldn't wanna know what was going on? If I told you it was nothing, you'd just accept it and ignore it and forget all about it?" Luke glanced down and fiddled with his watchband. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Come on, Luke."

Luke shrugged and sighed. "I'm just. . .not ready to tell you _yet_, okay? I'll tell you in a few days."

Lorelai groaned. "You know what, just forget it." She walked down the hallway toward the staircase. "I'm going to the party now to eat a ton of cookies and explain to our unborn child how Daddy can be a real jerk sometimes."

Luke followed her down the steps to the diner. "Oh, so not telling you something makes me a jerk?"

Lorelai turned around to face him. "In this instance, yes, it does. I'm asking you about something, I expect you to tell me the truth about what's going on. As your _wife_, I think I have a right to know."

Luke snickered. "Oh, so when you get married, you automatically forfeit your individual right to privacy? I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that I had to divulge every single aspect of my life to you." 

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You know what? You can have all the damn privacy you want tonight when you're sleeping on the couch!" She turned around and stormed out of the diner.

* * *

That night, Lorelai and Rory arrived home from the party just after eight. After hanging their coats up, Lorelai went right up to her bedroom, and Rory walked to the kitchen where Luke was sitting at the table. "Hey, Luke."

"Hey. You guys are home early."

"Yeah, Mom was tired. . . and pretty cranky."

"Because of me, I bet." Luke took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "Am I right?"

Rory nodded and sat down across from him. "I'd say you were a major contributing factor, yes."

Luke sighed. "I figured."

"She's ticked that you're keeping something from her. You know how she is, she needs to know everything that's going on."

"Yeah, I know." Luke shook his head toward the cup of tea in front of him. "God, this would've worked out fine if she hadn't seen that thing with Nicole."

Rory hesitated a moment, then leaned forward. "Okay, I know this is none of my business, but can I ask you one thing about it?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know if Mom considered this at all during her time spent freaking out, but when she mentioned that you said you would tell her about it in a few days. . ." Rory lowered her voice. "It kinda occurred to me that it might have something to do with Christmas."

Luke nodded. "It does."

Rory nodded knowingly. "That's what I thought."

"I was trying to surprise her with something nice. I didn't think she'd get this crazy about it."

"I'm sure in the end she'll appreciate it, whatever it is." Rory paused. "Can I ask what it is?"

Luke reached into his back pocket and pulled out the envelope. "The first time I talked to Nicole, she mentioned she had a place in New York, and that reminded me that I wanted to get Lorelai theater tickets for Christmas. And I mentioned it to Nicole, and she said she knew this guy who was looking to sell some of his tickets to some musical and that they were pretty good seats. So I took her up on it."

He slid the envelope across the table to Rory, and she pulled out the tickets. "_Urinetown_," she read, then let out a laugh. "Interesting title."

"It's supposed to be pretty funny," Luke said with a shrug. 

"There are four tickets here," Rory observed.

"Yeah. Me, Lorelai, you. . .and whoever you want to bring along," Luke said. "Dean, Lane, whoever. It was kind of a joint gift for you and your mom."

Rory smiled. "Aw, that's so cool, thanks." She put the tickets back into the envelope and slid it back over to him. "Luke, she's gonna love that. I even think she'll forgive you for trying to keep it a secret." 

He sighed and picked it up. "I guess I should just go tell her about it now instead of trying to keep it from her for three more days."

Rory nodded. "That's probably a good idea, unless you were looking forward to sleeping on the couch."

"Not particularly."

"Okay, well, she's upstairs getting ready for bed." 

Luke walked upstairs to the bedroom. He found Lorelai sitting on the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest, and when he saw that she was crying, he sighed softly. "Lorelai. . ." 

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Go away."

He sat down next to her. "This is insane. Are you gonna hate me until I tell you what's going on?"

"Maybe."

"Jesus, it's not something you should be crying over."

"Yeah, well, everything makes me cry nowadays," she snapped. "Which you know, and should thus try to take extra precautions not to upset me. But apparently you don't care about that at all."

Luke exhaled loudly. "God, Lorelai, you're making a freakin' mountain out of a molehill. Believe it or not, I was trying to do a nice thing for you here."

Lorelai scoffed. "Since when does keeping secrets from your wife constitute a nice thing?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, I don't know, maybe when it has to do with me wanting to surprise you with a _Christmas present._"

Lorelai stared at him for a moment as the tenseness in her face and body slowly seemed to dissipate. Finally, in a small voice, she asked, "What?"

"Yeah, that exchange you saw was me buying one of your stupid Christmas presents." Luke tossed the envelope in her lap. "And apparently I'm a jerk for wanting to wait for Christmas to tell you about it."

Lorelai glanced down at the envelope, then slowly opened it and pulled out the theater tickets. Luke explained how he bought them from Nicole, and finished up with, "See, I told you it was no big deal. It's nothing to cry over, nothing to be mad at me for. It was just. . .a present. For you and Rory. I'm sorry it got you all upset."

Lorelai silently stared down at the tickets for almost a minute before she finally brought her gaze to Luke. She was crying again, and Luke could see the regret in her face. She swallowed hard and shook her head. "I'm the worst person in the entire world."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. People are gonna wanna interview me and put me in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most horrible wife ever. Lorena Bobbitt was a better wife than I am."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "The one who cut off her husband's. . .uh. . ." He shifted on the bed and rested his hands uncomfortably in his lap. 

She sighed and leaned back against the headboard. "I can't believe you went out and did the sweetest thing and I screamed at you and called you names and acted like some crazy woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown."

"You didn't know what was going on," he said sympathetically. "It's fine."

"It's not fine. I'm an evil, horrible woman." She covered her face with her hands and mumbled, "God, why do you put up with me?"

Luke moved closer to her and rubbed her leg. "Because I love you." He pulled her hands away from her face. "Because when you're not acting crazy and screaming at me, you're the most amazing person in the world."

Lorelai groaned toward the ceiling. "God, and here you go being nice and adorable even after I treated you like crap. Why do you do that?"

"What do you want me to do, treat _you_ like crap in return?"

"Yes, because at least then it would serve as your revenge for me treating you like crap. But no, you have to go and be all nice and perfect and charming, so then it makes me feel even worse about how I acted." Lorelai sighed. "I suck."

"You don't suck, and I'm not trying to make you feel worse," Luke assured her. They talked for a few more minutes, ending with them agreeing to put it all behind them. Luke picked up the envelope. "So, do you like 'em at least? Because it'd be really bad to have just gone through all that and find out you hated the present."

"No, I _love_ them, it's a great present." Lorelai kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lorelai glanced down at her stomach. "Baby, forget all that stuff I said earlier about Daddy."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to get our kid to hate me every time you get mad at me."

"But it's fun. I feel like I have some sort of brainwashing power."

"Then brainwash it to hate Bootsy."

Lorelai giggled. "I think the baby will be able to form that hatred all on its own."

"True. Everyone else did."

"Okay, well. . .I'm gonna go get changed for bed." Lorelai pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"It's forgotten. Now I know better for next year not to engage in secret present purchases where you can see 'em."

"And I know not to freak out when I think you're keeping something from me."

Luke pulled back and cocked his head doubtfully.

"Okay, I'll probably still freak out," she admitted. "But maybe not as much."

"Good." Luke kissed her, and they both went to get ready for bed.

* * *

In the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Lorelai and Rory went to the video store to stock up on holiday movies and candy, then walked toward the diner. 

Lorelai glanced up at the cloudy sky, then patted Rory on the arm. "Can you feel it? It's gonna start real soon, I can tell. Tomorrow at this time, the whole town will be covered in one big white blanket of snow."

"We're gonna need donuts for tonight," Rory reminded her.

"We'll get some from the diner," Lorelai said as they approached the door. They walked inside and sat down at a table, and a few seconds later, Luke walked over. 

"Hey." He leaned down and kissed Lorelai's cheek. "What have you guys been up to?"

Rory gestured to the bags on the floor next to her. "We got a ton of movies and candy for our annual Christmas movie marathon."

Luke glanced at the bags. "Wow, that's a lot of videos."

"It ain't called a marathon for nothing," Lorelai said. "We got all the classics."

"And Mom was freaking out because they didn't have the cartoon version of _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_," Rory said. "But then she saw some little girl walking around the store with it, so she lured her away from her mother and bribed her to let us have it."

Lorelai giggled. "I can't believe that woman never taught her kid not to talk to strangers."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Geez. How much did you give her?"

"Five bucks."

"Five bucks? You wasted five bucks just to get your hands on some movie you've probably seen a hundred times?"

"Yes. And I would've went higher, but thankfully this girl was cheap."

"She was six years old," Rory added. "Five dollars was like a hundred to her."

Luke folded his arms across his chest. "Okay, look, if you want us to be able to buy clothes and diapers for the baby when it comes, and be able to send Rory to college without having to sell the house, you can't just give away money like that."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "It was five bucks, Luke." 

"Five bucks that we don't have anymore."

"Geez, you want the five bucks back? Here's how to do it." Lorelai pointed to the counter. "See that guy right there? Overcharge him for his meal. There's your five bucks. End of story."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Rory said.

Luke sighed as he pulled out his order pad. "What do you guys want?" They ordered their food and Luke walked away. 

"I can't believe you're gonna abandon me in the middle of our movie marathon," Lorelai said, frowning at Rory.

"Sorry. What was I supposed to do, say no to Dean's parents when they invited me over for Christmas Eve dinner?"

"Yes. You could've said that you already had plans."

Rory shrugged. "I didn't want to be rude. I'll probably only be a couple of hours."

"You and Dean are gonna exchange presents tonight?"

"Yup."

"What do you think he got you?" Lorelai asked. "Ooh, maybe he made you a matching necklace to go with your bracelet." She glanced down at the leather bracelet on Rory's wrist. "For your sake, I hope not."

Rory frowned and clutched the bracelet to her chest. "Stop making fun of it. You know I hate when you do that."

Lorelai held up her hands innocently. "I'm not making fun of it."

"Yes, you are. You're so mean. I think it's beautiful."

Lorelai smirked. "I think you need to take a look at it from another angle."

Rory let out a laugh, but then scolded her. "Mom, stop. It's a sweet gift."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "It is, it's very sweet, I'm sorry. I know how important it is to you. I'm just jealous because none of my boyfriends ever made me homemade jewelry." She frowned and let out a sad sigh. "Not even my husband. He just goes out and buys me expensive gorgeous things made of silver or white gold, never stopping to think of how special a present he could make from a leather strap and a bottle cap."

Rory rolled her eyes. "It's not a battle cap, it's a medallion. And this conversation is over."

Lorelai giggled and rubbed Rory's arm. "Sorry, no more making fun of it. It really is a very sweet gift. Let's be friends again."

"Okay." Rory picked up the bag from the video store. "Let's go through these and pick out the order we're gonna watch 'em in."

* * *

That night Lorelai and Rory were on the couch watching _It's a Wonderful Life,_ and Lorelai kept glancing toward the window. "I can't believe it's not snowing yet," she grumbled. "Why do the weathermen suck so much?"

"Meteorology isn't an exact science," Rory pointed out. "There's a lot of guessing involved."

"Well, they shouldn't have gotten my hopes up for a white Christmas if they weren't positive we'd get one."

"There's still time," Rory assured her. "It still might snow tomorrow."

"But I wanted to sit outside and eat donuts in the snow _tonight_. I've been looking forward to it."

"You'll just have to look forward to it a little bit longer."

"But I don't want to," Lorelai whined. "I'm so tired of waiting." She saw Luke walking down the steps, and she frowned at him. "Hon, it's still not snowing."

"And sitting here whining about it's gonna help?" he asked dryly.

"Where have you been, Luke?" Rory asked. "You should know by now that the Lorelai Philosophy is that whining solves everything." 

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at Rory, then turned to Luke. "What's that?" She pointed to the large plastic bag Luke was carrying.

Luke carried it past them and over to the Christmas tree. "Presents. I'm putting them out now with the assumption that you two will wait until tomorrow to open them." He paused and glanced at the girls. "Is that a stupid assumption?"

"Yup." Lorelai jumped up off the couch and rushed over to him. "What'd you buy, what'd you buy, what'd you buy?"

"You'll find out tomorrow." He started taking presents out of the bag and piling them under the tree.

"Come on, just let me open one." Lorelai grabbed one of the presents. "How about this one?"

Luke took it from her and put it back under the tree. "Forget it. You already got one of your presents."

Lorelai pouted. "But I didn't get to unwrap anything."

"Tough."

Lorelai folded her arms across her chest and watched him unload the rest of the presents. When he was finished, he stood up and crumbled up the shopping bag, then pointed to the gifts. "If either of you open any of 'em before I say it's okay, I'm taking 'em all back."

Lorelai gasped. "You wouldn't?" She turned to Rory. "Luke is giving us a gift ultimatum."

Rory nodded. "I heard - and by that look on his face, I don't think he's joking."

"No, I'm not." He headed toward the kitchen, and Lorelai followed him. He threw the bag in the garbage, then turned around to face her. He opened his arms and she walked into them, smiling to herself as he hugged her. He kissed the top of her head. "How ya feeling?"

"Good." She looked up at him and stifled a yawn. "Tired." 

"Well, it's almost 11. That's late for you nowadays."

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to bed as soon as this movie's over." She kissed him gently. "Wanna come watch the rest of it with us?"

"Sure." 

She kissed him again, then took his hand and led him back to the living room.

* * * 

The next morning, when Lorelai's eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was Luke staring at her from his pillow. He'd been waiting for her to wake up for a few minutes, and he smiled when she finally did. "Hey."

Lorelai blinked a few times before a smile slowly formed on her lips. "Hey. Merry Christmas."

"You, too." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"I've never woken up on Christmas with a man in my bed before ." She peeked under the covers and giggled. "And certainly not one with Santa Claus boxer shorts."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you're never getting me to wear anything like this ever again, so don't get used to 'em."

"Aw, but they look cute."

"Never again," he repeated.

"Fine, I won't buy you anymore holiday underwear."

"Good." He gestured toward the window. "So. . .take a look outside."

"What? Why?" She propped herself up on her elbows to glance out the window, and she gasped when she saw that it was snowing. "Ooh!" She jumped out of bed and ran to the window, opening it up all the way. 

"Oh, yeah, that's great," Luke commented. "Let all the heat out."

"Shh." She stuck her head out the window and stared out into the whiteness. The ground wasn't completely covered yet, but it was getting there. The random spots of grass that could still be seen poking through the thin layer of snow would be gone in a matter of minutes. 

Lorelai sighed contentedly. "Oh my God, it's so beautiful." She stared out at it for a few more seconds before walking back to the bed and crawling into his arms. "It must've been that whining I did, it made the snow come."

"That _must_ be it."

They were both quiet for a moment before Lorelai said, "You know what? This is probably the last Christmas we'll be able to just loaf around in bed like this. Next year we'll be taking care of the baby, and there won't be time for relaxing."

"So we should relax as much as we can this Christmas," he deduced, hugging her tighter.

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Yeah." They lay there for a moment, then Lorelai jumped up. "Okay, that was enough. I'm gonna go see if Rory's up." She climbed off the bed, put on her robe and slippers, then hurried down the steps.

Luke got up and closed the window, then pulled on a T-shirt and sweatpants before heading down to the living room. He sat down on the couch to wait for the girls, and it wasn't long before they walked into the room. They were both carrying some presents that they set down under the tree, then Lorelai walked to the hall closet as Rory walked over to the couch.

"Hey, Luke. Merry Christmas." Rory leaned down and pecked him on the cheek, then sat down next to him on the couch.

"Yeah, you, too." He gestured toward the window. "I assume she showed you the snow?"

Rory smiled. "Yeah, that was the first thing she said when she walked into my room."

"I've never seen someone get so excited about precipitation."

Rory shrugged. "I don't get it either, but I've long ago come to just accept it."

Lorelai walked back in and put a few more presents under the tree. "Okay, that's all of 'em. Ready to start opening?"

"You don't wanna eat breakfast first?" Luke asked.

Lorelai scoffed and sat down on the floor next to the tree. "Rory, hit the music."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Guess I'll take that as a no."

Rory put on some Christmas music, then joined Lorelai on the floor. "Come on, Luke. Sit down." Luke walked over to them and reluctantly sat down on the floor, and Lorelai rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Okay, let's start."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in a sea of torn wrapping paper and boxes and bows, surrounded by clothes, shoes, DVD's, CD's, books, and a bunch of other opened presents. There was only a couple more left to open. 

Lorelai pulled a large box from under the tree and handed it to Luke. "This one's for you from me."

He set it down and unwrapped it, revealing the chess set that Lorelai had gotten him. "Wow, this is nice."

Lorelai smiled. "You like it?"

"Yeah, it's great. Thanks." 

"I was telling Rory that your dad taught you how to play," Lorelai said.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, he did. He was really good."

"Mom was thinking you could teach us," Rory said.

"Sure." Luke set the box aside, then picked up a wrapped one and handed it to Lorelai. "Here."

She smiled and set it on her lap. "Ooh, it's heavy." She tore off the paper. It was a shoebox, and she opened it up to find it filled to the top with bags of peanut M&M's. She laughed. "Oh my God!"

Rory smiled. "Wow."

Luke smirked. "There. In case I forget 'em next time I go on a candy run, we'll always have some around."

"Aw, you're the best." Lorelai pulled out one of the packs and opened it, then tossed a few of the candies into her mouth. "What's next?"

Rory pulled a small box from under the tree. "This is for both of you from me."

Lorelai smiled and reached for it. She unwrapped the box, then opened it up and pulled out a glass ball tree ornament. It had a picture of a bride and groom on one side, and Lorelai read the words that were painted on the other. "_Luke and Lorelai, Our First Christmas Together, 2002_." Lorelai gasped softly. "Honey, it's so beautiful." She held it up to Luke. "Isn't that amazing?"

Luke smiled and nodded as he took it from her. "Yeah, it's great."

Rory smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Luke looked it over, then held it out toward Lorelai. "You wanna do the honors?"

Lorelai took it from him, then stood up and hung it on the tree. She sat back down and wiped the small tears that had formed in her eyes. "Oh, that was too sweet. I love that, babe." She leaned over and kissed Rory on the cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They exchanged the last of the gifts, then Lorelai glanced sadly at the tree. "I think that's all of 'em." 

Luke stood up. "Actually, there's one more present I have to get from the truck."

"Ooh, who's it for?" Lorelai asked.

"You."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Ooh, yay!"

"Now it's not wrapped, so don't peek," he warned. "Wait until I get it in the house."

Lorelai covered her eyes with her hands and looked at him through the finger holes. "I can't see a thing, I promise."

Rory picked up one of her new shirts and covered Lorelai's head with it. "There you go, Luke."

"Thank you." He slipped on his shoes and coat, then walked out to the truck. 

Lorelai pulled the shirt off of her head. "Do you know what he's bringing in?"

Rory smiled. "Yup."

"Tell me."

Rory rolled her eyes. "You're gonna see it in 20 seconds. You can't wait that long?"

"No!"

"Well, too bad."

"I wanna see." Lorelai started to stand up to look out the window, but Rory grabbed her robe and pulled her back down. Lorelai frowned and rubbed her backside. "Ow."

"Just wait."

Lorelai pouted, then grabbed the bag of peanut M&M's and ate some more. 

A minute later, the front door opened and Rory jumped up to help Luke bring in the wooden rocking chair. He set it down near the door and brushed the snow off of it, then called, "Close your eyes."

Lorelai stood up and closed her eyes. "They're closed."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really really?"

"I swear."

"Check," Luke said to Rory. 

Rory peeked into the living room, then turned back to Luke. "They look closed."

"Thanks for the trust, guys," Lorelai called.

They brought the rocking chair into the living room and set it in front of Lorelai.

"Okay, look," Luke said.

Lorelai opened her eyes, and they widened when she saw the chair. Her face broke into a wide grin. "Aw, just what I wanted!" She reached down and ran her hand over one of the arms of the chair. "Ooh, it's cold."

"It was outside all night," Luke said.

"Oh my God, I love it." She lifted up her pajama top. "Look, Baby, this one's for you. You got a present."

"Try it out," Rory said.

Lorelai sat down in the chair and rocked for a moment. "Ooh, nice and . . .rockingly."

Luke smiled, amused. "So, you like it?"

She stood up and kissed him. "I love it, thank you. It's definitely gonna get a lot of use."

"Good." He glanced at the mess on the floor. "I guess we should clean this up."

Lorelai glanced down at the floor and nodded, then patted him on the arm. "Yeah, you do that. I'm gonna go take a shower."

Rory picked up the cordless phone from the desk. "I'm gonna call Dean and wish him a Merry Christmas."

Both girls left the room. Luke sighed and started gathering up the wrapping paper.

* * *

That afternoon, Luke was in the kitchen checking on the ham for lunch when Lorelai walked in. He shut the oven door and smiled at her. "Hey. How was your nap?"

"Good." She walked over and hugged him. "The food smells great."

"It's almost ready."

Lorelai glanced out the back door window. "It's still coming down out there."  


He turned to look. "Yeah. And it doesn't look like it's gonna be stopping anytime soon."

"Wanna go for another walk in it? The only thing better than a Christmas walk in the snow is a _second_ Christmas walk in the snow."

"Maybe after lunch," he said. "What's Rory doing?"

She waved toward the living room. "She's in there reading one of her new books. I think one of the ones you got her."

"Oh, good. I'm glad she likes 'em. I wasn't sure what to get, so Jess gave me a couple of suggestions."

"Well, you done good," Lorelai said. "She's curled up in front of the fireplace reading away."

He finished preparing lunch, and soon all three of them were sitting around the table eating. 

"Mm, this is great, Luke," Rory commented.

"Mmhmm," Lorelai muttered through her mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Glad you like it 'cause we're having the leftovers for dinner," Luke said.

"Fine by me," Rory said. 

"I could eat your cooking everyday," Lorelai said.

"We do eat his cooking everyday," Rory reminded her.

Lorelai shrugged. "So, there, it wasn't a lie." 

"What's the plan for the rest of the day?" Luke asked.

"Hm, watch more Christmas movies, gawk over what cool presents we got, lie around and eat lots of junk food," Lorelai said.

"Plus, don't forget, donuts in the snow tonight," Rory added.

"Right. We'll aim for midnight, but I don't know if my tired little body will let me stay up that late." 

"Maybe if you take another nap," Luke suggested.

"Maybe." Lorelai took a bite of her food. "Hey, isn't there stuff in ham that makes you sleepy? That might help the napping process."

"That's turkey," Luke said.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Oh, yeah. So does that mean that live turkeys are tired all the time?"

"I don't know."

"You would think so, huh?"

"Next time I go to a turkey farm, I'll ask for you." 

"Thank you."

They finished up their lunch, then moved to the living room to watch the next movie.

* * *

That night, it was almost 2 am when Luke woke up and realized he was alone in the bed. He assumed Lorelai was in the bathroom, but when she didn't return after a few minutes, he got up to go find her. 

He walked downstairs and stopped at the bottom step. The living room was dark except for the glow of the Christmas lights on the tree. Lorelai had moved her new rocking chair next to the tree and was curled up in it, staring out the window at the snow.

She'd heard him walk down the stairs, and she glanced over her shoulder at him. "Hey."

"Hi. Everything okay?" 

"Yeah. I just couldn't sleep."

Luke walked over to her and stood behind the chair. "Still snowing, huh?"

"Yup. I love just watching it fall to the ground. It's so peaceful. . .so magical."

"Yeah." Luke reached down and rubbed her shoulders. "So. . .good Christmas, huh?"

Lorelai smiled up at him. "_Great_ Christmas. It was amazing." She stood up and hugged him. "Love you."

"You, too."

Lorelai kissed him, then patted the back of the rocking chair. "Here, sit." He did, and she sat on his lap and leaned back against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her stomach, and they both stared out the window to watch the falling snow.

* * *

To be continued. . . 

Thanks for reading. I hope that didn't come out too fluffy, but I wanted them to have a nice little Christmas. Feedback is appreciated. :)


	15. Part 15

"It's Still There – part 15"

* * *

The day after Christmas, Lorelai and Rory went to Sookie's house for lunch. As they sat around the living room eating dessert, Lorelai smiled out the window. "Man, eight inches of snow. . .you can't ask for a better start to the winter."

"Unless you hate snow," Sookie said.

Lorelai frowned. "How can anyone hate something so beautiful?"

"Um, maybe because it's a deadly hazard?" Rory suggested. "People slip on it and fall and get hurt. It causes car accidents, shoveling it injures people's backs. Kids sometimes get hurt when they go sledding. Sometimes – "

"Okay, okay," Lorelai interrupted, waving her off. "Let's just sit back and enjoy the beauty of it, hm?" She set her plate on the coffee table, then leaned back against the couch cushion. "I don't wanna go back to work on Saturday. I wish I had the rest of the year off instead of just today and tomorrow."

"Me, too," Sookie agreed. 

"What are you doing for New Year's Eve?" Lorelai asked. "You guys wanna come over?"

"Aw, sorry, we can't," Sookie replied with an apologetic frown. "Jackson's friend invited us to some party and Jackson already told him we'd come." She rolled her eyes. "I'd much rather hang out with you guys, though, since I'm sure at your house I won't be sitting around listening to a bunch of drunks talk about the latest episode of Jerry Springer."

"Ooh, is that the one where the guy wanted to marry his own mom?" Lorelai asked. "Or the one where the girl admitted to her boyfriend that she used to be a guy?"

"Okay, you'd fit in really good at the party," Sookie commented with a smirk. "Which is actually kind of scaring me."

"Don't worry, she doesn't actually watch the show," Rory assured her. "She just likes to read the little title at the bottom of the screen, and then she changes the channel to something more educational, like SpongeBob or Powerpuff Girls." 

Sookie giggled. "Ah, I see. So you guys are just hanging out at home on New Year's Eve?" 

"Yup. Well, Luke and I are." Lorelai gestured to Rory. "This one is abandoning her mother to hang out with her boyfriend."

"One of Dean's friends is having a party," Rory added. 

"Ooh, sounds fun," Sookie commented. 

"So while my kid's out partying it up, Luke and I will be sitting at home trying to figure out exactly how old Dick Clark is," Lorelai said. "And with no alcohol. Sounds like a rockin' New Year's Eve, huh?"

"I'm sure it'll be fun," Sookie said. "You two will find other ways to occupy your time." 

Lorelai smirked and nodded. "Oh yeah, we're good at that."

Rory jumped up from the couch. "Okay, I'm gonna go get a drink before this conversation goes where I think it's going." Lorelai and Sookie both giggled as Rory walked to the kitchen. 

"Have you heard from Christopher lately?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai nodded. "He called Rory a few days ago before he left for some trip with Sherry to visit family of hers."

"Does he know about the baby?"

"Rory mentioned it when he called, and he told her to tell me congratulations."

Sookie raised an eyebrow. "He didn't even tell you himself?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Apparently he was in a hurry." She sighed. "Tomorrow is our last free Friday night. Weekly dinners start back up again next week."

"Oh, wow, how long has it been?" Sookie asked.

"We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving," Lorelai replied. "I was getting so used to not having to go there."

"Do you guys exchange Christmas presents?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah. I never know what to get them though."

"What'd you get 'em this year?" Sookie asked.

"Kind of generic stuff. We got my mom this crystal vase, and my dad this gold paperweight with his initials engraved on it."

"Ooh, they sound like nice gifts," Sookie commented. "And definitely not too generic."

Rory poked her head through the doorway. "It's safe for me to come in, right?"

Lorelai patted the seat next to her. "Yes, get in here." Rory walked in and sat down, and the three of them continued talking.

* * *

It was almost 8 o'clock on New Year's Eve, and Rory was brushing her hair in her bedroom when Lorelai walked in. "Hey hon. You leaving soon?"

"Yup. Dean'll be here in a few minutes to pick me up." 

Lorelai sat down on Rory's bed. "So, you said you don't know where the party is?"

Rory applied some lip gloss. "Not really. It's at this kid Jay's house, and I think he lives on Orange Street, but I'm not positive."

"But it's definitely around here somewhere, right?" Lorelai asked. "It's not in some other town?"

"Oh, yeah, it's close by," Rory assured her. "He goes to school with Dean, so I know he lives in Stars Hollow."

"Okay, just checking. What time do you think you'll be home?"

Rory shrugged. "I'm not sure. Probably by one."

Lorelai nodded. "Just call if you're gonna be later than that."

"I will." Rory smoothed out her shirt in the mirror, then turned around. "How do I look?"

Lorelai smiled. "Adorable."

"Good. Let's go." Rory walked out of the room, and Lorelai followed her to the front entryway. 

As Rory rummaged through her purse, Lorelai pulled at the waist of her jeans. "Okay, I think this is the last time you're gonna see me in these for awhile."

Rory looked over at her. "Oh, are they getting tight?"

Lorelai nodded and patted her stomach. "I do believe that Mommy is starting to expand."

Rory smiled. "Time to buy some maternity clothes."

"Actually, not yet," Lorelai replied. "The book said that around this month, maternity clothes would be too big, so you should go out and buy regular clothes in a size larger than normal."

"Oh. So either way, we need to go clothes shopping tomorrow."

"Yup."

"Sounds good."

A few minutes later, Dean arrived to pick up Rory, and they left for the party. Lorelai went upstairs and changed into comfortable pajamas, then sat down on the couch to watch television as she waited for Luke to get home from work.

* * *

Luke arrived home around 8:30 with takeout from the diner. Lorelai was sitting on the couch watching television, and he walked over to her. "Hey." She looked up at him, and his eyes widened when he saw that she was crying. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Lorelai sniffled and nodded as she wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine." 

Luke sat down next to her. "Talk to me."

"It's nothing, I'm okay." Lorelai gestured to the television. "It was just. . .there was a Cheerios commercial on."

"Oh." Luke nodded understandably. It wasn't the first time a commercial had made her cry lately, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. "What was it about?"

"Oh, it was really sweet. The little girl. . .I guess she was like 6 or something. . .she pours a bowl of cereal and then she carries it on this tray down the hall and wakes up her dad, and she's like, 'Happy Birthday, Daddy.' And he's so touched and he smiles at her, and they sit on the bed and eat the cereal together. . ." Her lower lip trembled and more tears slid down her cheeks. "And it was just the sweetest thing." Lorelai wiped her eyes and sniffled a few times. "You probably think I'm a moron."

Luke, who was finally starting to get used to her new emotional state, shook his head and pulled her into a hug. "No, it sounds nice," he said, comfortingly rubbing her back.

"It was. Next time it's on, I'll call you so you can see it."

"Okay." Luke kissed her cheek, then pulled back and smiled at her. "You okay now?"

Lorelai nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." He held up the takeout bag. "I brought dinner. You wanna eat it out here?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, I'll go get some drinks. Juice?" Lorelai nodded, and Luke handed her the bag before heading for the kitchen. 

* * *

When they were done eating, Luke carried the empty containers into the kitchen to throw them away. As he was pouring himself another drink, he heard Lorelai walk in behind him. "Hey, I'm ready to learn. You ready to teach?"

"Huh?" Luke turned around and saw that she was carrying his new chess set. "Oh, yeah. Sure." He gestured to the table. "Let's set it up."

They sat across from each other at the table and they set up the pieces on the board. When they were finished, he started explaining how to play and how the pieces were allowed to move. After he explained the pawn and the rook, he picked up one of his knights. 

"Aw, look at the cute little horsie," Lorelai gushed.

"Now the _knight. . ._" He gave her a look as he emphasized the correct name. ". . .is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, and it moves in the shape of an L."

"Because your name starts with L?"

Luke narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Does it move in the shape of an L because your name starts with L? Like, if Sookie was playing, would it move in the shape of an S?"

Luke shook his head. "No, it moves in an L for everyone. Like this." He demonstrated the different ways to move it. "Got it?"

"Yeah." She picked up another piece. "What's the pointy guy do?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "The _bishop_ moves on a diagonal, like this." He took it from her and demonstrated.

Lorelai grabbed it back. "Yeah, I know what a diagonal is, thanks." She put the piece back down and picked up another. "This is the queen, right?"

"Yeah, that can move in any direction as far as you want it to go, as long as no other pieces are in its way."

"Nice." She picked up the king. "And this is the king?"

"Right. It can only move one space at a time in any direction."

Lorelai smiled. "Ha, the queen is more powerful than the king? That's the girl power I like to see."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Are you ready to play?"

"Yes." Lorelai glanced down at the board. "Wait. I don't remember anything you just said. Could you go over what all the pieces do again?"

Luke sighed. "I'll teach you as we go along. Let's just start."

They started playing. Luke kept reminding her of the move restrictions for the pieces and tried to help her think out her moves, but it still only took a few minutes for him to beat her. 

Lorelai pouted and hugged her knees to her chest. "This game is hard."

"It was only your first time. It gets easier the more you practice."

Lorelai waved an accusatory finger at him. "You know, I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure you cheated."

"I didn't cheat," he assured her. "You wanna play again?"

"Only if you don't cheat this time," she grumbled. Luke started setting up the pieces, and she asked, "Oh, hey, can I have your horsies on my side?" 

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

"Yeah, I think it'd be cute to have all the horsies lined up together in the front row," she said. "What do you say? I'll trade you my pointy guys for your horsies."

Luke shook his head. "You can't do that."

"Who says?"

"The person who invented the game of chess."

"Well, we'll play our own version of chess." Lorelai pouted. "Please? It's not like the chess police is gonna come arrest us for not playing the right way."

Luke rolled his eyes and handed her his knights. "Fine, here."

Lorelai grinned. "Thank you." She handed him her bishops. "Here you go."

"Thanks," he replied dryly. He finished setting up the board and they started playing.

After a few minutes, Lorelai asked, "So, did I mention that one of my most perfected skills is slowly deteriorating?"

"Oh yeah? Which one?"

"My ability to wear tight jeans." Lorelai frowned. "They're pretty snug now – and not in a good way."

Luke smirked. "Gaining weight, huh?"

Lorelai nodded. "Looks that way. Rory and I are going shopping for clothes tomorrow." She glanced down at the chess board and sighed. "I don't really feel like playing this right now."

"What do you wanna do?"

Lorelai shrugged and stood up. "I don't know, but we're newlyweds with the whole house to ourselves on New Year's Eve. . . we should be doing something fun. Let's go make out like teenagers on the couch or something." She headed for the living room. Luke stared after her for a moment, then jumped up and followed her.

Lorelai started to sit down on the couch, then stopped. "Ooh, wait. I know what I wanted to do." She walked to the desk and began rummaging around in the drawers.

Luke walked over to her. "What are you looking for?"

Lorelai pulled out her camera and held it up. "This. Here." She handed it to him. "Take a picture of me like this." She lifted up her pajama top a few inches to expose her stomach.

"Why?"

"Photographic documentation of the pregnancy," Lorelai said. "We'll take a picture each month and then at the end we'll have a little flip book of me blowing up like a balloon."

"Ah."

"Plus, in case I have trouble losing the weight afterwards, you'll have a picture to remind you of how perfect my body used to be."

"Sounds good." Luke took two pictures of her, then set the camera on the desk. "Okay, that's done. So. . .now. . ." He gestured toward the couch.

Lorelai was confused for a moment, then caught on and smiled. "Making out, right. Let's go."

* * *

A few minutes before midnight, Lorelai was snuggled up against Luke on the couch as they watched the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square on television. 

"What were you doing this time last year?" Lorelai asked.

"Probably sleeping."

Lorelai looked up at him, surprised. "You didn't even wait up for the ball to drop?"

"No. I've never really understood the excitement of watching a ball slide down a big pole."

"It's a tradition," Lorelai said. "We watch it every year. You have to take advantage of what you have before it's gone, and one day, Dick Clark will no longer be with us, so we have to enjoy him while he lasts."

"I'm sure he appreciates you thinking that way."

Lorelai took his hand and aimlessly stroked his palm. "This year was amazing. I mean, think of all that happened with us. . . dating, living together, getting married, getting pregnant. It was a huge year."

"Yes, it was," he agreed. "Can't ask for a bigger one."

"Last year at this time, I was sitting right here with Rory waiting for the ball to drop, and not in a million years did I ever imagine that any of that stuff would've happened in the upcoming year, let alone all of it."

"Me, either."

"But I'm glad it did."

"Me, too." Luke kissed her. "Any regrets?"

Lorelai shook her head. "None. You?"

"Nope." Luke glanced at the television. "Oh, hey, there's your ball. . ." 

"What?" She turned to look, and saw that the countdown had begun in Times Square and the ball had begun its descent down the pole. "Ooh, here we go. . ." She counted down the last few seconds and at exactly midnight, threw her arms in the air. "Happy New Year!" 

He smiled at her excitement. "Happy New Year." They hugged and kissed passionately as Auld Lang Syne poured out of the television speakers.

Lorelai picked up their cups from the coffee table and handed Luke his drink. "Here's to 2003 – may it be as exciting and eventful for us as 2002."

"I'll drink to that." They clinked their cups and drank their juice. 

Lorelai set her glass on the coffee table, then let out a long yawn. "I'm beat. Ready for bed?"

"Yup."

"Let's go." 

Lorelai turned off the television, and the two of them tiredly climbed the staircase to the bedroom. 

* * *

On Friday night, Lorelai, Luke, and Rory arrived at Emily and Richard's house just before seven. They rang the bell, and both Emily and Richard answered the door to let them in. They exchanged salutations, and after hanging up their coats, headed to the living room and sat down. 

"So, how was your trip?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, it was wonderful," Emily replied. "We're already thinking of going back next year."

Lorelai gasped. "So it'll be two years in a row without the apple tarts? Come on, Mom. Don't do that to me."

"I said we're thinking about it, Lorelai," Emily pointed out. "Nothing's been decided yet."

"Yes, but just knowing the possibility is there that I may not be able to have them is devastating to me." She frowned toward Luke. "Maybe you can get the recipe and make them."

"Maybe." 

"So, Lorelai, how are you feeling?" Emily asked. "I assume everything with the pregnancy is going along well so far?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "What pregnancy?" 

"Yours, of course."

Lorelai let out a laugh. "Oh my God, you guys really did think I was pregnant? That whole thing on Thanksgiving was just a joke, I thought you knew."

Emily and Richard's eyes both widened, and their smiles were replaced with the sternest of looks. Richard folded his arms across his chest. "Excuse me?" 

"A joke?" Emily asked through pursed lips.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Good one, huh?"

"It was most certainly not a good one!" Emily exclaimed. "How could you do something like that?"

"Lorelai, I am outraged that you would joke about something like that," Richard scolded her. "To let us believe that you were expecting a child when you're not is one of the most – "

Lorelai giggled and held up her hands. "Whoa, calm down, I'm kidding!"

Luke sighed and shook his head. "Lorelai. . .geez. . . "

"Yes, she's pregnant," Rory assured her grandparents. She shot Lorelai a look. "But for some reason she feels it necessary to be annoying whenever possible." 

Emily shook her head angrily. "Do you want us to constantly be suspicious of whatever you say, Lorelai? To always be wondering whether you're telling the truth or not?"

"Yes, because I feel that it creates an air of mystique around me," Lorelai replied. "And who doesn't look sexier with some mystique surrounding them, huh?" 

"We're upset with you right now, Lorelai," Richard declared. "It's no time for your smart remarks."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and smiled. "Come on, loosen up. Who doesn't love a good 'I lied about being pregnant' joke?" She glanced around the room and was greeted with blank stares, and she held up her hands innocently. "Okay, okay, I get the picture. Sorry."

"Thank you," Emily replied. "Now, Luke, since you seem to be able to answer questions without giving us strokes, why don't you tell us how the pregnancy's going."

"Everything's fine so far," he replied. "Our second doctor's appointment is on Wednesday."

"And we had to go out and buy some bigger clothes this week because her other ones were starting to get a little tight," Rory added.

Emily smiled. "Oh, that's so exciting. That's when it really hits you that there's an actual person inside of you . . .when you start to get bigger and can actually see the pregnancy from the outside. Right now you can't tell that you're pregnant at all."

"That's because I'm not, I told you," Lorelai said quietly with a shrug.

Emily scowled at her. "Lorelai, stop that."

Lorelai giggled. "Sorry, last pregnancy-related joke ever, I promise."

Richard stood up. "Well, what do you say we give you your belated Christmas presents before dinner is served, hm? I'll go get them." He left the room.

"Oh, I left yours in the hallway," Lorelai said. 

"I'll get them," Rory offered, standing up and heading for the hallway. She and Richard returned a moment later with the presents, and after exchanging gifts, everyone moved to the dining room for dinner.

* * *

On Wednesday afternoon, Lorelai was behind the front desk of the inn signing some papers when Michel walked over and handed her another stack. "These need to be signed as well."

"Geez, my hand's falling off here," Lorelai complained. "What are those?"

"The contracts promising that when you have your baby, you will not bring it within a hundred feet of me," Michel replied before walking over to the computer.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and flipped through the papers. "Should I bother reading through these or have you checked them all over?"

"They're checked, just sign them," he grumbled.

Lorelai glanced over at him and snickered. "Why are you being so cranky with me today? I haven't done anything to annoy you at all."

"Your mere presence annoys me." 

"Well, then you'll be happy to know I'm leaving in a few minutes anyway."

Michel scoffed. "It's nice how you think you can leave whenever you want to. You're lucky I don't call up the boss lady and tell her how irresponsible you are."

"First of all, Mia barely understands you when you talk anyway, and secondly, I told you last week that I had a doctor's appointment today and would have to leave for a few hours."

"Yes, well, if you haven't noticed, I try to tune you out when you talk."

"Why are you complaining?" Lorelai asked. "You should be happy I'm leaving. You just said my presence annoys you."

"He said that?" a voice asked. Michel and Lorelai looked up and saw Luke approaching the front desk.

"Yes, he did," Lorelai confirmed. "And for once I didn't even do anything to provoke him." Luke folded his arms across his chest and gave Michel a stern look. 

Michel took a step back from the desk and adjusted his tie. "I did not mean. . .when I said that. . . I was just. . ." He turned and quickly walked away from the front desk.

Lorelai giggled. "I love that he's scared of you."

"Me, too." Luke leaned over the desk and kissed her. "You ready?"

"Yup, let me just get my coat from the office."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later they were in the examination room of the doctor's office. Lorelai had just changed into her gown and was sitting on the exam table while Luke sat on a nearby stool. They talked as they waited for the doctor, and finally she walked in.

"Hello," the doctor greeted them with a smile. "How are we doing today?"

"Hi, Dr. Palmer," Lorelai said, and Luke nodded hello as he stood up. "We're fine."

"Good, good." The doctor walked over to the scale. "First things first, I'm gonna get you to jump up on here real quick, Lorelai."

"Okay." Lorelai walked over to the scale and stepped on it, then turned back to Luke. "Don't look. A lady never reveals her weight to her man." Luke turned his head away.

The doctor weighed Lorelai and wrote it on her clipboard. "Okay, it looks like you've put on three pounds since your last visit."

Lorelai stepped off the scale. "Is that good, bad, too much, too little?"

"No, that's perfectly normal," the doctor assured her. "Why don't you hop back up on the table and we'll check your blood pressure." They did that, and the doctor wrote it down. "Okay, looks good. So before we get started with everything else, do you have any questions about anything?"

"Yes, actually," Lorelai replied. "Is it true that back in the '70s, Florence Henderson – you know, Mrs. Brady – went out with the guy who played Greg Brady? Because I've always wondered if that rumor was true."

Doctor Palmer smiled and clarified, "I meant any _pregnancy-related_ questions."

Lorelai shook her head. "Oh, then, no. But let me know if you find out the answer to the _Brady Bunch _one, okay?"

"I will." The doctor smiled at Luke. "You've got yourself a fun one here."

"Yeah, fun's one word to describe it," Luke replied, rolling his eyes. "Exasperating could also be used." Lorelai gasped softly and nudged him with her elbow. 

"So, you've been taking your vitamins, eating well, staying hydrated?" Doctor Palmer asked, and Lorelai nodded. "What about your caffeine intake? You said that it might be hard for you to limit it, but have you managed to do it?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup, no more than two cups of regular coffee a day."

"Where it used to be no less than eight," Luke added. "So it's actually quite an impressive feat for her."

The doctor smiled. "Very good." They talked for a few more minutes, and then Lorelai leaned back against the reclined table for the doctor to check her over. 

When the physical exam was through, the doctor made some notes on her clipboard, then smiled. "Okay, everything looks good. Anna's gonna come in and do the ultrasound for you, and I'll be back in a little bit."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, thanks." 

"Yeah, thank you," Luke added. 

Doctor Palmer left the office, and a few minutes later a nurse walked in. "Hello."

"Hi," Lorelai said. "Are you Anna?"

"Yes, I am," Anna replied, extending her hand. "Lorelai, right?"

"Yup, and this is my husband Luke," Lorelai replied, gesturing to him.

"Hey." Luke shook the nurse's hand.

"Nice to meet both of you." Anna smiled. "Are you ready for the ultrasound?"

They both nodded, and Anna rolled over the cart of ultrasound equipment. She flipped a few switches, then picked up a bottle of gel. "This might feel a little cold." She squirted some of the gel on Lorelai's stomach, then picked up a small paddle. "Okay, here we go. It might take a minute to actually pick something up, but we'll see. . ." All three of them stared at the small monitor as Anna glided the paddle over Lorelai's midsection.

Some white splotches appeared on the monitor. "Ah, here we go," Anna said. 

Lorelai squinted at the screen. "What is it?"

"The baby."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" She patted Luke's arm. "Can you see it?"

"I can see _something_," Luke replied. "But it doesn't look like a baby."

"A lot of people have trouble making out the shape this early," Anna said. "But I can assure you, we're looking at your baby right now."

Lorelai smiled. "Wow. Luke. . ." Luke smiled and put an arm around her, and they both stared at the unrecognizable white blur in awe. Lorelai noticed something pulsating on the monitor, and she gasped. "Oh my God. . .is that the heart beating?"  


The nurse smiled. "Yes, it is."

Lorelai gasped again and patted Luke on the arm. "Aw, hon, look."

Luke was staring at the screen with wide eyes. "I see. . ." He shook his head slightly. "Wow."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Here." The nurse turned a knob on the monitor, and soon the room was filled with a rapid fire swishing sound. "That's the heartbeat."

Lorelai covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God." She leaned her head against Luke's chest.

Luke's mouth dropped open. "That's the baby's actual heartbeat?"

The nurse nodded. "Yes. Amplified, of course."

"It sounds so. . .fast," Luke commented, his eyes glued to the screen. 

"It sounds amazing," Lorelai whispered. As she watched the fluttering of the heartbeat on the monitor and listened to the accompanying swish-swish-swish sound that was echoing through the room, tears welled up in her eyes. Lorelai laced her fingers through Luke's. "Luke. . . that's our baby."

Luke swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah." He stared at the screen, his own eyes suddenly feeling moist. "That's. . .it's . . .the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Or heard." He kissed her softly, and they both returned their gaze to the monitor, staring at it with speechless amazement. 

* * *

Almost an hour later, Lorelai returned to the inn, and she rushed immediately to the kitchen. "Sookie!" she called excitedly.

"Coming," Sookie called from across the room. Lorelai walked in that direction as Sookie walked out of the storage room. "Hey. How was the appointment?"

"Amazing. Look at this." Lorelai held out the photo printed from the ultrasound. "There's my baby!"

Sookie gasped. "Aww, that's so. . . " She paused and eyed the photo curiously. She turned it sideways. "Wait, which way do you hold it?"

"I'm not sure, but somewhere on that paper is my child. And we got to _see and hear_ the heartbeat."

Sookie's eyes widened. "No!"

"Yes!"

Sookie giggled with excitement and squeezed Lorelai's arms. "Oh my God, how was it? Was it incredible?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "It was the most exciting thing ever. I didn't want it to stop. I asked the nurse if we could take the big machine home with us so we could just watch the heartbeat all day long, but she said no."

Sookie frowned. "Medical personnel are so mean."

"I know. She did say that there're some little ones on the market made for home use, but that they don't usually work as well until you're further along."

"Neat. So, how's the baby? Everything's okay with it?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup, everything's great so far. It's developing normally, the heartbeat was a good pace, I'm doing fine. . .everything's good."

Sookie grinned and hugged her. "Oh, that's so great. Can they tell the sex yet?" 

"Not yet, but we haven't even decided if we wanna know now or wait."

Sookie looked down at the picture again and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I really don't see it."

Lorelai shrugged. "Me, either. But we know it's there, that's all that matters." 

"Yeah. It's so exciting!" Sookie hugged her again. "I'm so happy for you."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks, Sookie." She gestured toward the lobby door. "Okay, I gotta get back out there. I'll see you later."

* * *

That night, Lorelai and Rory were sitting at the kitchen table in their pajamas eating ice cream when Luke walked in the back door. "Hey."

"Hey hon," Lorelai said. 

"Hey Luke," Rory said. "How was work?"

"Long. Busy day today, it's good to be home."

"Mom said that you guys heard the baby's heartbeat today. That must've been cool."

Luke smiled as he took off his coat. "Yeah, it was great. Did she show you the picture we got?"

"Yup."

"And she says she can see the baby in it," Lorelai said incredulously. 

"Oh yeah? I was having trouble with it." Luke sat down at the table with them.

"Me, too. She tried to point it out to me just like the nurse did, but my eyes just aren't seeing it." Lorelai shrugged. "Oh well. I'm giving up. I'll see the thing when it comes out of my body."

"Or if you get another ultrasound in one of the later months, it'll probably be easier to see the shape of the baby," Rory said. "It's still early yet. How big is it?"

"The doctor said it's about three inches in length," Lorelai replied.

"Wow." Rory held up her fingers to estimate the size. "Aw, that's so tiny."

Lorelai giggled. "I know. And it only weighs half an ounce. That's so cute."

"It's neat to think that we all started off that small," Rory commented. She finished up the last of her ice cream, then walked the bowl over to the sink. "Okay, I'm heading to bed."

"Night, sweets," Lorelai said.

"Night," Luke added.

"Night." Rory walked into her bedroom and closed the door. 

Lorelai scooped up a small spoonful of ice cream and held it out toward Luke. "Hungry?"

Luke shrugged. "Not really."

Lorelai ate the spoonful, then set her spoon down in the bowl. She reached into the pocket of her pajama shirt and pulled out the picture from the ultrasound. "I can't stop looking at it."

Luke took it from her and stared down at it for a moment. "It is pretty amazing." He turned it a little. "I think I'm finally starting to see it." 

"Oh yeah? I guess that makes me the only loser in the house who can't."

Luke stood up. "Well, let's go upstairs and stare at it for a while before bed. Maybe you'll get lucky."

Lorelai smiled. "Get lucky?" 

Luke rolled his eyes. "I meant, see the baby's shape."

Lorelai stood up and raised an eyebrow. "So you're eliminating any other alternate forms of _getting lucky_?"

"I didn't say that." Luke smirked and pulled her into a hug. 

"Good." Lorelai kissed his cheek, and the two of them walked toward the staircase.

* * *

To be continued . . .

Thanks so much for reading and for the reviews. :) 


	16. Part 16

"It's Still There – part 16"

* * *

On Friday night, after the weekly dinner with the grandparents, Lorelai dropped Rory off at Lane's house, then parked the Jeep in front of the diner. She walked inside and gave a quick glance around for Luke, then assumed he was in the kitchen and walked to the counter to wait for him. Kirk was sitting a few stools away, writing diligently in a notebook.

"Hey, Kirk," Lorelai greeted him. "Writing in your diary?"

Kirk looked over at her. "What?"

Lorelai gestured to the notebook. "What are you doing?"

He glanced down at it. "Oh, I'm compiling a list of possible future money-making endeavors."

"Money-making endeavors, huh? How's it coming along?"

Kirk nodded affirmatively. "Pretty good." He tapped his pen against the counter for a few seconds, then asked, "Do you think it's possible to create some sort of chemical product to spray on snow to make it disappear?"

Lorelai gasped. "Why would you wanna do that to the poor defenseless snow?"

"Snow removal takes a lot of time, energy, and money," Kirk explained. "Anything that could let someone clean it up in a matter of minutes would be sure to bring in millions. That's why I think snow removal in a can would be an excellent idea if I could just figure out the secret formula to make things disappear."

Lorelai cocked her head. "Wait a second, didn't they do something like that in a movie once? It sounds familiar."

Kirk glanced down sheepishly. "I got the idea from _Frosty Returns. _It was on TV a few weeks ago."

Lorelai giggled. "You're stealing ideas from a cartoon?"

He frowned. "The idea had to originate from a real person, so maybe it is possible to create such a product."

Lorelai nodded seriously. "Yes, maybe it is. I wish you luck, Kirk. One thing – if you do invent it, don't use it on the snow around my house, okay? I want it to stay white and pretty all winter." 

"I'll take your request into consideration." Kirk turned back to his notebook.

Lorelai leaned forward on the counter and called, "Luke, your wife is here, come talk to her!"

A few moments later, Luke walked out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a dishtowel, and he smiled when he saw her. "Hey."

Lorelai smiled. "Hey you." She kissed him over the counter, then sat down on a stool.

"How was dinner?"

"Pretty good. I showed my parents the ultrasound picture, and they were excited about it so it put 'em in a good mood for the rest of the night."

"Good."

"And they invited us over this Wednesday night for my dad's sixtieth birthday dinner," Lorelai informed him. "Can you make it?"

Luke shook his head. "I don't know yet."

Lorelai nodded. "I told them you might not be able to, so it's no big deal. Rory and I are going shopping tomorrow afternoon to get him a gift."

"Okay." 

"How's your night been?" She glanced around. "Doesn't seem too busy."

"Yeah, it was earlier, but the last hour or so it's slowed down." He adjusted his baseball cap. "So, you know what I was thinking tonight?"

"Ooh, let me guess." Lorelai thought for a moment, then declared, "You wanna shave your head."

"No."

Lorelai let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God, because I'd do everything in my power to talk you out of it."

Luke folded his arms across his chest. "Guessing again?"

"Yes. You wanna get a puppy."

"No."

"A puppy named Spot," she continued. "But you specifically want the puppy to have no spots just so that when you tell people his name, they can ask you why you'd name a puppy with no spots Spot, and then you can go into this rant about how it's none of their business what you call your puppy and that they should just mind their - "

"Lorelai," Luke interrupted, covering her mouth with his hand. "Stop talking."

She peeled his hand away and frowned. "Fine, I give up. What were you thinking?"

"That I should get a cell phone."

Lorelai's eyes widened and she smirked. "Are you serious?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah."

Lorelai stared at him with disbelief. "You, the leader of the anti-cell phone revolution? What, you decided that they're cool now and you wanna get one to be part of the cool crowd?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "No, it's for you. I was thinking with you being pregnant, it might be good to have one for emergencies."

"Oh."

Luke shrugged. "I mean, I'm here working most of the time, but you never know. . .I could be out somewhere when you need to get a hold of me, so . . ."

Lorelai nodded understandably. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. I can just get another phone added onto the family plan Rory and I have already. It shouldn't be any trouble."

"Okay, good." 

They talked for a few more minutes, then Lorelai yawned and stood up. "I'm gonna head home."

"Okay." He walked her to the door. "See ya in a few hours, if you're still up."

"I probably won't be, I'm pretty tired." Lorelai kissed him goodbye. "Goodnight."

"Night." He held the door open and watched her walk out to the jeep before heading back to the kitchen.

* * *

On Wednesday night, Lorelai and Rory pulled up to the Gilmore mansion and noticed an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway. As they walked to the front door, Rory asked, "Did they get a new car?"

"I don't know," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Maybe."

They rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, Emily answered the door.

"Hi, Mom," Lorelai greeted her.

"Hey Grandma," Rory said. 

Emily sighed loudly as she stepped back to let them in. They walked into the house sharing a confused look. "Uh, is everything okay, Mom?" Lorelai asked.

With pursed lips and a pained expression on her face, Emily whispered, "She's here."

"Who?" Lorelai whispered back.

"Your grandmother," Emily hissed through clenched teeth.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Gran?"

"Yes."

"She's here right now?" Rory asked.

"Yes, she just showed up a few minutes ago with absolutely no prior notice to us whatsoever," Emily complained. "What kind of person flies in from another country to see us without so much as a phone call first?"

"A fugitive," Lorelai suggested.

"Or someone who's trying to drive me crazy," Emily retorted. "I can't believe that woman."

"Emily, what's taking so long?" Richard called from the living room. "Are the girls here?"

"Yes. Uh, we're just getting their coats hung up," Emily called back. She gestured toward the hat rack and they hung their coats up. Emily took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go." Lorelai and Rory, clutching Richard's birthday presents, followed Emily to the living room.

Richard and his mother sat talking on the couch, and they both looked up when the other three walked in. Lorelai and Rory wished Richard a happy birthday. 

"Thank you, girls," he replied. "Look who's here."

"What a surprise," Lorelai said. "Hi Gran."

"Hi Gran," Rory echoed. "Good to see you."

"Hello girls," Trix greeted them. She glanced at Emily and sighed. "Emily, I thought you were fetching me some iced tea."

"The maid is getting it, Mom," Emily replied with forced cheerfulness.

"Perhaps you should look into getting a maid who doesn't let your guests dehydrate," Trix suggested.

"I'll go see what's taking so long," Emily muttered, then turned and left the room.

"Girls, please sit down," Richard said, gesturing to the sofa across from him. Lorelai and Rory set Richard's presents on the coffee table before sitting. 

"So, Lorelai, I do believe this is the first time I've seen you since you've settled down," Trix commented. 

Lorelai smiled and showed off her wedding ring. "That's right. Thank you so much for the gift you sent. Did you get my thank you card?"

"Yes, I did, thank you," Trix replied. She looked Lorelai up and down. "You look different as a married woman. . .more mature."

"Yes, I figured 34 was a good age to finally let some maturity show through," Lorelai said. 

Emily returned to the room with a glass of iced tea and set it in front of Trix. "Here we go."

Trix waved it off. "Too late. I'm not thirsty anymore." Emily exhaled softly with annoyance as she took her seat in the armchair. Lorelai and Rory looked on sympathetically.

"Tell me, Lorelai, what does your husband do?" Trix asked.

"He owns a diner in Stars Hollow," Lorelai replied. "That's where he is tonight, working."

"Yes, Luke runs a fine business," Richard commented. "It keeps him very busy."

"Well, that's nice, but I hope he also sees his family enough," Trix commented. "One of the problems in many marriages today is an overworking husband who doesn't spend enough time at home."

"Oh, he spends plenty of time at home, don't worry," Lorelai assured her.

"Yeah, we see him all the time," Rory added. "They're completely obsessed with each other so they're never apart for too long."

"Well, that's good to hear, then," Trix said. "I'd like to meet him. Perhaps we could get together on Saturday for lunch."

"Oh, actually, we'll be in New York," Lorelai said. "Luke got me theater tickets for Christmas for a musical called _Urinetown,_ and they're for Saturday afternoon."

"_Urinetown_?" Trix frowned at the name, then glanced at Emily. "Emily, you're allowing your daughter and granddaughter to see a play about a bodily fluid?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Emily replied, wrinkling her nose. "Why would you want to see a play like that, Lorelai?"

"Because it's supposed to be funny," Lorelai replied. "And I'm always up for something that'll make me laugh, as I know you always are, Mom."

"Yes, laughter's my middle name," Emily muttered.

"Well, we'll just have to get together another time," Trix concluded.

Richard cleared his throat and patted his mother on the arm. "I believe Lorelai has some other news she'd like to share with you, Trix." He gestured for Lorelai to continue.

Lorelai smiled and patted her stomach. "Luke and I are expecting a baby, Gran."

Trix's eyes widened. "A baby?"

"That's right. It's due in July," Lorelai said.

"My, my. You certainly didn't waste any time, did you," Trix remarked.

Lorelai shook her head. "No, we didn't. We're all very excited about it."

"Well, how nice." Trix smiled. "I offer you my congratulations."

Lorelai thanked her, and the five of them continued talking in the living room for a few minutes before they moved to the dining room for dinner.

* * *

A few hours later, Lorelai and Rory walked out of the house and climbed into the Jeep.

"That was quite a night," Rory commented.

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "I think the look on my mom's face when Gran said she was moving back to Hartford will be forever imprinted in my memory."

Rory frowned. "Poor Grandma, she looked so shocked. And it didn't help that Gran was picking on her all night long."

"I know."

"Don't think I didn't notice you constantly smiling to yourself," Rory scolded her. "You're like the queen of the kingdom of schadenfreude."

Lorelai giggled as she started the car. "Hey, it was nice seeing someone else uncomfortable at dinner for a change. I was able to just sit back and enjoy the show." 

"They don't pick on you as much as they used to anyway," Rory pointed out. "You guys get along pretty well most of the time."

"Yeah, that's true," Lorelai agreed. "It's kind of nice." She pulled out of the driveway and headed back to Stars Hollow.

* * *

On Saturday morning, Lorelai went through her closet to find an outfit to wear to the show. She laid out a bunch of possibilities on the bed, and was staring down at them all when Luke walked in from the bathroom. "Lorelai, come on, get dressed."

Lorelai frowned. "I don't know what to wear."

"I told you to pick out an outfit last night."

"I was too tired." She sighed and sat down on the bed. "This would be easier if we were staying overnight because now I have to find something that not only looks good, but also will be comfortable enough for the car ride."

"I told you, it's a waste of money to stay overnight," Luke reminded her. "If it was a nighttime show, then yes, but not for a matinee. We'll go, see the play, have dinner, and then we'll have plenty of time to drive home. There's no reason to stay overnight."

Lorelai gasped. "What about shopping? We can't take a day trip to New York without going shopping. It's illegal. I won't allow it."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll do a little shopping. But I stress _a little_."

"Thank you." She eyed his black suit pants and black sweater. "And I stress that you look sexy."

"Thanks." He slipped on his shoes and sat down on the bed. "Is Rory ready?"

"I don't know, probably. She's always ready on time. She didn't get that from me." Lorelai chose an outfit from the bed and started changing. "She told Dean to meet us here at ten. What time is it?"

Luke checked the clock. "Quarter of." He was quiet for a moment as he watched Lorelai get changed. "They've been together a couple years, right?"

"Yeah, about." 

Luke gave an impressed nod. "That's a long time for their age."

"That's a long time for any age," she corrected him. "It's almost three times as long as we've been together and we're already married."

"Well, it's different with us."

Lorelai smiled. "You mean because we had years of built-up sexual tension behind us that propelled our relationship along at the speed of light?"

"Yeah, and they don't have that at all."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean by that?"

Luke shrugged. "They just don't seem to have a big physical attraction. They act more like close friends than boyfriend/girlfriend." 

"Just because they're not making out every time we see them doesn't mean they're not attracted to each other," Lorelai pointed out. "I mean, who knows what they do when we're not around." She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Okay, that is so not something I wanna be thinking about."

"I'm sure you've thought about it before," Luke said, then added, "I mean, in a concerned 'I hope my daughter's making the right choices' kind of way."

"Yeah, occasionally. . ." Lorelai shrugged. "But I don't worry about it too much because I'm pretty sure that if she was seriously considering having sex, she would talk to me about it first."

Luke nodded. "That's good, or else you'd be going crazy thinking about it."

"Yeah." Lorelai zipped up the side of her skirt, then sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Okay, new subject please. I don't wanna have thoughts of my daughter's sexuality in my head for the rest of the day. Hurry up and say something else."

"Uh. . ." Luke wracked his brain for something to talk about. "Oh, next weekend."

Lorelai sat in the armchair and started pulling on a pair of boots. "What's next weekend?"

"The Super Bowl," Luke replied. "I usually go over John's house and watch it with a bunch of the guys, so I won't be around next Sunday."

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, how cute, male bonding. You're gonna come home all pumped up with testosterone, huh?"

"Possibly."

She stood up to button her shirt. "Good. You're fun when you're like that." 

"How so?"

"Sometimes after you do something manly, you get this attitude that's all. . ." Lorelai deepened her voice. "'I'm a man. I'm the ruler of the house. My woman will do whatever I say.'" 

Luke rolled his eyes. "First of all, I don't get like that, and second of all, why would you think it's fun for a guy to act like that?"

"For the same reason I like it when you pin me up against the wall and kiss me," she replied. "Sometimes it's sexy when a guy gets a little bossy, a little overpowering. Not all the time, naturally, because then it just gets annoying and creepy and scary. But once in awhile can be fun."

"Oh yeah?" Luke had a smirk on his face as he walked over to her.

"Yeah."

He backed her up against the dresser. "Like this?" He took her hands and pinned them behind her back, then kissed her passionately.

Lorelai smiled. "Exactly like that." She pressed her lips against his and kissed him again, then giggled and turned her head away. "Okay, stop, you're making me all tingly and now's not the time." He immediately retreated back to the bed and watched her finish getting ready. 

As she was touching up her makeup, they heard the doorbell ring, and Luke glanced at the clock. "That's probably Dean."

"Always the punctual one," Lorelai commented.

Luke grabbed his wallet and his watch from the dresser. "You just about ready?"

"Almost."

"Hurry up. We're leaving in two minutes, with or without you." 

"Yeah, yeah." Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him and waved him off. 

Luke walked downstairs, and Rory and Dean were talking on the couch. He nodded toward Dean. "Hey."

"Hey," Dean replied.

"Is Mom almost ready?" Rory asked.

Luke shrugged. "She says she is, but I've learned not to believe her when she says that."

"Thanks for inviting me to come," Dean said sincerely. 

"It's good that you're going," Luke said. "I'll have someone to talk to when the girls are shopping."

Rory's eyes lit up. "Ooh, we're going shopping?" 

"I think your mom might try to divorce me if I bring her home from New York without letting her shop," Luke said.

"That's right," Lorelai said as she walked down the stairs. "I'd call the lawyer from the car and have those papers ready to sign the minute we got home. Hey Dean."

"Hey," he replied.

"Everybody ready?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup," Luke replied. "Let's go." 

* * *

Later that afternoon, the four of them exited The Henry Miller Theater in New York talking about how they enjoyed the show. They contemplated getting an early dinner, but the girls talked the guys into doing some shopping first. 

They took a cab to Saks Fifth Avenue, and after looking around for only a few minutes, Luke took Lorelai by the arm and led her out of the store. Rory and Dean followed them outside. 

Once on the sidewalk, Lorelai scoffed. "Come on, I wasn't done looking around."

"The cheapest thing I saw in there was an umbrella, and that was 90 dollars," Luke informed her. "I don't even wanna know how much the clothes cost. Forget it, you're not getting anything from here." 

Lorelai frowned. "Mean."

"Everything _was_ pretty expensive, Mom," Rory pointed out. 

"Yes, well, I think I deserve something expensive," Lorelai retorted. "Let's go to Tiffany."

"I'm not taking out a loan just so you can get a pair of earrings," Luke said.

"I don't want earrings, I want a bracelet."

"You have enough bracelets."

"But none from Tiffany."

"Nobody cares where they're from. Who are you trying to impress?"

"My boyfriend." Lorelai slipped her arm through Dean's. "I'm sorry to break it to you guys like this, but Dean and I are secretly dating."

Dean's eyes widened and he pulled away from Lorelai. "Uh, we're not. . .that's not true. She's kidding. Tell them you're kidding."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and patted him on the arm. "Calm down there, Skippy. They're not fools." 

"Let's go somewhere else, like Bloomingdale's or Macy's or something," Rory suggested, then shivered in the cold air. "And fast, it's freezing out here."

"All right, we'll hit one or two more stores, then we'll go get some dinner," Luke said. 

* * *

A few hours later, they were on their way home from New York. In the front of the truck, Luke was concentrating on driving while a bored Lorelai stared out the side window, and in the back, Rory and Dean were talking about the musical.

Lorelai pulled her cell phone out of her purse. "I think I'm gonna call Sookie, see what she's up to." She dialed the number, and after a few rings, Sookie answered. "Hey, Sookie, it's me."

"Hey. Are you guys back from New York?"

"Not yet, we're in the car on our way home," Lorelai replied.

"How was the play? Or show or musical, whatever it was."

"Hm, I'd classify it as a musical," Lorelai said. "It was good, everyone really liked it. Afterwards we went shopping, and my husband Mr. Penny Pincher here was so astounded by the price tag on the dress I really, really wanted from Macy's that he could not see how perfect an article of clothing it was." She frowned at Luke.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You're not spending three hundred dollars on a dress that you'll probably only be able to wear for another week or so. That makes no sense at all, Lorelai."

Sookie overheard him in the background. "He makes a pretty good point, honey."

Lorelai sighed. "I know, but it was such a pretty dress."

"Did you get something else instead?"

"Yeah, I got a couple smaller things," Lorelai replied. "A hat, a scarf, perfume, a purse."

"All of which were way overpriced," Luke muttered.

Lorelai waved him off. "Shh, I'm talking to Sookie. Focus on the road. What did you do today, Sook?"

"Oh, Jackson and I went to this soup cook-off in Millbrook."

"Ooh, did you enter? You make great soup"

"No, we just found out about it this morning, so we just went to watch," Sookie explained. "It was broken up into categories, like chicken soups, vegetable soups, creamed soups, stuff like that, so of course, Jackson was hovering over all the vegetable soup makers trying to find out where they get their vegetables."

"The man does enjoy talking about produce," Lorelai commented.

"Yes, he does. So we were there for a few hours, then we came home, did some stuff around the house, went to the market, ate dinner, and here we are."

"What are you doing now?"

"Watching tv," Sookie replied. 

"Aw, all snuggled up on the couch, I bet."

"Yup, drinking hot chocolate."

"Sounds cute," Lorelai said. "I'll let you go, then. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, have a safe rest of the ride home."

"We will. Bye."

"Bye." 

Lorelai hung up the phone and dropped it back into her purse. Luke and Dean were now in a conversation about football, and Lorelai turned to Rory. "Luke's going over to John's next week to watch the Super Bowl, so we should do something girly while he's not home."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, have a really girly movie marathon or something," Lorelai suggested. "No movie allowed that doesn't make us cry for at least ten solid minutes."

Luke heard her and glanced over. "Oh, that's just what I need, to come home to two hysterically sobbing girls."

"We won't be sobbing when you get home," Lorelai promised. "By that time, we'll probably be watching the new Alias that comes on after the game."

"Oh, geez. If I see that commercial one more time, I think my head's gonna explode," Rory said, rolling her eyes.

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too. They're really overdoing it, but I still wanna watch it."

"The game's pretty long, so the show might not be on until late," Luke told them. "You might have to tape it and watch it the next day."

Lorelai shrugged. "I'll take a nap during the day so I can stay up."

Luke and Dean resumed their sports talk, and Lorelai and Rory started discussing movies to rent for next week.

* * *

On the Monday morning after the Super Bowl, Lorelai walked downstairs and headed to the kitchen. Rory, dressed in her school uniform, was sitting at the table sipping coffee, and Luke was making pancakes at the stove. 

Lorelai paused at the doorway. "Okay, tell me the truth. . ." Luke and Rory both looked over at her. "Are you two really Rory and Luke, or did someone use a special device to duplicate your DNA and create doubles of you? Am I'm gonna find the real Rory and Luke's bodies out back with bullet holes in their heads?"

Rory smiled. "Guess you'll have to wait and see."

Lorelai sat down at the table. "Poor Francie."

"Didn't see that coming," Rory commented. 

Lorelai yawned loudly. "I can't believe how late it was on. I'm surprised I made it through the whole thing."

"Well, it's not like you could fall asleep during an episode like that," Rory said. "There was too much going on."

They talked about it for a few minutes until Luke brought a plate of pancakes to the table. "Okay, you guys do realize that it's just a television show, right?"

Lorelai frowned. "What's your point? We like television shows."

Luke retrieved three plates and some silverware, then sat down at the table and passed them out. "Well, maybe our breakfast conversation could be about something a little more important than a tv show."

"Fine, what does the man of the house wanna talk about?" Lorelai asked as she took some pancakes from the serving plate. 

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. . .anything."

Lorelai thought for a moment. "Okay, here's a hypothetical scenario for us to discuss. Let's say we get into some sort of financial trouble and we need money really badly, and one day I'm strolling past the gazebo and Hugh Hefner stops me and asks me to pose for Playboy. Now, of course, this would have to be at a time after I've had the baby and have lost all the weight and am back to my gorgeous perfect self. So, the question is. . .should I pose nude for some quick money?"

Rory groaned and made a face. "Okay, this is just way too disturbing a scenario for a girl to hear her mother talk about."

"Seriously, where do you come up with this stuff?" Luke asked.

"Hey, you couldn't think of something to talk about, so I had to," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"And since when does Hugh Hefner come to Stars Hollow?" Rory asked.

"Hi, _hypothetical_ scenario," Lorelai reminded her.

"Yeah, but that's _really_ hypothetical."

Lorelai snickered. "There aren't different phases of hypothetical scenarios. Something can't be _really_ hypothetical – it's either hypothetical or it's not." 

Rory held up her hands innocently. "Well, either way, I'm staying out of it." 

Lorelai turned to Luke. "Okay, it's up to you. . .should I pose? What do you think?"

Luke gestured between her and Rory. "I think you two should go back to talking about the television show."

"Aren't you too old for something like that anyway?" Rory asked. "I think they try to stick with younger girls in those magazines. You know, ones in their twenties."

Lorelai scoffed. "Okay, weren't you staying out of it?"

"I'm just saying," Rory said with a shrug. "Even more evidence that it's _really_ hypothetical."

Lorelai ignored her and turned to Luke. "No, really, how would you feel about something like that?"

"How do you think I'd feel?" Luke asked. "You really think that I'd want millions of other men to see my wife naked? I don't think so."

"Well, it'd give you something to brag about. You could pull out the magazine at the store or something and show it to random people and be like, 'Hey, that's my wife. She looks good, huh?'" Lorelai smiled and patted him on the arm. "That'd be fun, right?"

Luke stared at her for a second like she was crazy, then turned to Rory. "So, what's going on at school today?"

* * *

They ate breakfast, and after Rory left for school, Lorelai and Luke remained at the table talking. After a lull in the conversation, Lorelai asked, "What do you want the baby to be?"

Luke was surprised by the question. "What?"

"Boy or girl? It just occurred to me that we haven't really talked about it, and inquiring minds want to know. . .what do you want?"

"What do _you_ want?" he countered.

"I asked you first."

Luke pushed the leftover food around his plate with his fork. "I don't want anything."

"Uh, well, it's a little late for that," Lorelai said, patting her stomach. "You're getting something whether you want it or not."

"No, I mean, I don't want one sex more than the other," Luke explained. "You know, boy, girl, I'm gonna be excited either way." He reached over and stroked her hand. "I mean. . .it's _our_ kid, it's someone we created together, so it's gonna make me happy no matter what it is."

Lorelai leaned across the table to kiss him. "You do realize that you're the greatest man in the world, right?"

Luke shrugged. "That's what I've heard, but I'm too humble to acknowledge it myself."

Lorelai smiled and kissed him again. "Good." 

"So, what do you want it to be?"

"I'm with you on the no-preference thing, hon. Boy or girl, it's gonna be amazing either way." She carried their plates over to the sink, then walked back over to him and stroked his hair. "So, do you wanna find out ahead of time or wait until it's born?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know."

"It doesn't really matter to me," Lorelai said. "It might be good to find out now, that way we can be more prepared. We can buy stuff for that sex instead of having to buy unisex stuff."

"Don't you wanna be surprised?"

"Well, we're gonna be surprised whether we find out now or later," Lorelai replied. "It's just a matter of if we want to prolong the surprise or not."

Luke was quiet for a moment as Lorelai rubbed his shoulders. Finally, he said, "I think that prolonging it. . .wouldn't be so bad."

"Really? You don't wanna find out now?"

"Nah, I think we should wait it out."

"Okay, we'll wait it out then," Lorelai agreed. "We have to start thinking of names. We should start going through that book Sookie gave us." 

"It's the end of January," he pointed out. "We have until July to decide."

"Yeah, but it might take a while for us to agree."

"It won't take six months. We'll do names when you're further along." Luke took a final sip of his juice, then stood up. "I gotta get to work." Lorelai followed him to the front door and watched while he pulled on his coat. He grabbed his keys from the table, then kissed her goodbye before leaving for the diner.

* * *

A few weeks passed, and Lorelai's pregnancy was becoming slightly more apparent to the outside world. They went to her third doctor's appointment in mid-February and the scale indicated that she had gained another five pounds. Normal for how far along she was, the doctor told them. She had gone out and bought some maternity clothes that she wasn't quite fitting into yet, but it wouldn't be long before she was.

The last Friday in February, Lorelai and Rory were in Hartford for dinner with the grandparents. The four of them sat talking at the dinner table when they were interrupted by the faint ringing of a cell phone. 

Lorelai jumped up. "That's mine."

Emily sighed. "Lorelai, I've asked you to turn that off at dinner. We're eating. Just let it ring."

"But it might be Luke wanting to check in on his pregnant wife, and he might worry if I don't answer." She rushed to the coat rack in the front hall and pulled her cell phone from her purse. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's me!" a bubbly voice greeted her. 

Lorelai was surprised to hear Sookie on the other end of the phone. "Sookie, hey." She glanced toward the dining room and lowered her voice. "Uh, can I call you back later? I'm having dinner with my parents right now."

"I know, I'm sorry to bother you," Sookie said quickly. "But I wanted to tell you something and I couldn't wait any longer."

"Sure, what's going on?"

Sookie giggled excitedly. "I think we're pregnant at the same time!" 

Lorelai's eyes widened. "What?"

"I think I'm pregnant!"

Lorelai gasped. "You think? When are you gonna find out?"

"We're on our way to the doctor right now. I called them up, thinking I would make an appointment for next week, but they had an opening tonight." Sookie squealed. "Wouldn't that be so amazing, the two of us pregnant at the same time?" 

They talked for a minute, and Lorelai could see Emily giving her looks from the dining room. "Look, I have to go, but I'm gonna call you as soon as dinner's over to see how it went, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good luck!"

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." Lorelai hung up her phone and returned to the dining room. "Sorry, that was Sookie. She had to talk to me about something real quick."

"Is everything okay?" Rory asked.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Oh, yeah, everything's great." She gave Rory an 'I'll tell you later' look and resumed eating her dinner.

* * *

To be continued. . . 

Okay, I have to speed things along, so I have to start skipping weeks in the story instead of sticking with the day-by-day writing style I usually use. And as you can see, I'm still working in some season 3 things. 

Since feedback's been really, really sparse as of late, I wanted to take another little role call and just see if there are still readers out there. Please review, I could use some feedback right about now. :)


	17. Part 17

"It's Still There – part 17"

* * *

That night after dinner, as soon as they climbed into the Jeep, Lorelai told Rory about Sookie's phone call. They both excitedly discussed the prospect of simultaneous pregnancies, and then Rory encouraged Lorelai to call Sookie back and find out how the doctor's appointment went.

Lorelai pulled out her cell phone and dialed Sookie's house, but there was no answer. She left a message on the machine, then tried her cell phone. After a few rings, Sookie answered, and Lorelai greeted her with, "It's me, tell me everything!"

"I'm pregnant," Sookie announced with an excited giggle.

Lorelai gasped. "Oh my God, that's so great! Congratulations!" She smiled and nodded toward Rory, who grinned.

"Thanks," Sookie replied. "It's still sinking in. It's like when someone returns one of my meals – you just can't believe it until you sit and think about it for a long time."

"Yeah, I know what that's like," Lorelai said. "When is it due?"

"Oh, that's the best part! October 31st."

"Aw, a Halloween baby!" 

"Yup!"

"Aw, that's no fair, I want a Halloween baby."

"Sorry. You should've waited another three months to get pregnant."

"Yeah, we should've planned the due date better instead of just having all that random. . ." Lorelai paused and glanced at Rory. "Uh, never mind. Listen, we're just leaving my parents' now, but we're gonna stop by on the way home, okay?"

"Okay. We're on our way home from the doctor's now, so we should be home soon."

"See you in a bit."

"Okay, bye."

They hung up, and Lorelai smiled at Rory. "Oh my God, I'm so happy for them."

"Me, too. I can't believe you're both pregnant at the same time, that's so neat," Rory said. 

"Yeah, it'll be good to have someone to go through it all with."

"I hope Lane and I are pregnant at the same time," Rory remarked. "That'd be fun."

Lorelai cocked her head and eyed her curiously. "You're talking years from now, right? Because it'd be really weird for me to have a child and a grandchild who are around the same age."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom, years from now. Many years. After college, after I'm settled in a career, after marriage, after all that good stuff."

"Good." Lorelai started the car, but didn't pull away. She thought of her conversation with Luke last month about Rory and Dean, and suddenly had the urge to talk about it. She turned to Rory, who was now adjusting the heater vent, and cleared her throat. "Uh, honey. . ."

"Yeah?" Rory fiddled with the vent for a second before sitting back and turning to her. She noticed Lorelai's face looked more serious than just a moment ago. "What's wrong?"

"Um, listen. . ." Lorelai started, then paused a moment, searching for the right words. "You're an adult now. . . and you're smart. You know how to make the right choices."

"I'd like to think so," Rory agreed, but she narrowed her eyes with confusion. "What is this about?" 

"This is about you and me. About how, even though you're an adult and _can_ make the right choices yourself, I still want you to feel comfortable talking to me about them first. We're each other's sounding boards. I mean, we still tell each other everything, right?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, of course we do."

"So, you haven't made any big decisions lately that you haven't told me about, right?"

"Nope."

"You're sure?"

"I'm positive." Rory sighed. "Mom, just come out and say what you're thinking so I can stop wondering what you're beating around the bush about."

Lorelai glanced down at her seatbelt strap and started fidgeting with it. "I'm thinking that. . .you and Dean have been dating for a long time, and so I just wanna make sure that if you two haven't. . .you know, already made the decision to take things further. . ."

Rory's eyes widened. "Mom. . ."

". . .that you'll talk to me before you do," Lorelai quickly finished.

Rory leaned back against her seat and stared out the front windshield. "We haven't done anything. . . "

"Okay." Lorelai stared at her, knowing from her tone that she was about to say more.

Rory was quiet for a moment, then glanced at Lorelai. "But we _have_ talked about it."

Lorelai's eyes widened slightly. "You and Dean?"

Rory nodded. "A few months ago."

Lorelai tried to hide the fact that this freaked her out a little, and casually asked, "So. . .uh. . .how did it go?"

Rory shrugged. "Fine. We talked, I told him I wasn't ready and that I'd tell him when I was, and it hasn't been brought up since." 

"Not once?"

"Nope."

"Wow." Lorelai patted Rory on the knee. "A lot of guys that age wouldn't be so patient. You're lucky."

"Yeah. I know." There was a brief moment of silence. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you we talked about it."

"That's okay."

"I just didn't wanna freak you out for no reason."

"I understand."

"I mean, if I thought I was ready for it to happen, that's when I would've come to you about it. That's when I _will_ come to you about it."

"Good, that's what I want. Just come talk to me, and we can. . ." Lorelai swallowed hard. "Go to the doctor and get you on. . .you know. . .some sort of, uh . . .birth control." It was harder than she thought it would be to say that sentence, to realize how much her baby girl was growing up.

"Yeah." Rory seemed a little uncomfortable with it also, and she glanced away. "But we don't have to think about that yet. I mean, it could be a while."

"I know, but when the time comes. . .I'll be there to help you with all that stuff if you want me to." 

Rory nodded gratefully. "Okay, thanks." 

Lorelai kissed Rory on the cheek. "I'm proud of you, hon. You know that, right?"

"Yeah."

"Not just for this, for everything."

"I know."

"Good." They shared a hug, then Lorelai pulled out of the driveway and headed to Stars Hollow. 

* * *

After stopping at the diner to tell Luke about Sookie's pregnancy, Lorelai and Rory headed to Sookie's house and knocked on the front door. Sookie answered, and they greeted her with congratulatory hugs. 

As Lorelai and Rory took off their coats, Lorelai said, "Rory and I were talking about how cute it would be if. . ." Her voice trailed off when she noticed Sookie's not-so-happy expression. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Sookie sighed. "It's Jackson." They walked to the living room and sat down.

"What about him?" Lorelai asked.

"He's not exactly embracing the news."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, sweetie, what happened?"

"I don't know. He seemed fine on the way home from the doctor," Sookie said. "He was kinda quiet, but I figured he was letting it sink in, you know? Then we got home and I said something about turning the guest room into a nursery, and he just started flipping out about the cost of everything, and now he won't come out of the office."

"What's he doing in there?" Rory asked.

"Making sure we can afford the baby without robbing a bank," Sookie replied. She shook her head disappointedly. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. This isn't how you react when you find out you're gonna be a dad. You're supposed to be happy."

"Aw, I'm sure he's happy," Lorelai assured her.

"I hope so," Sookie muttered. 

Lorelai and Rory both frowned sympathetically at her, then Lorelai had an idea. She walked over to her purse and grabbed her cell phone, then sat back down on the couch. 

"Do you have beer, Sookie?" Lorelai asked as she dialed a number.

"Uh, yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I think it's time for some father-to-be bonding." Lorelai brought the phone to her ear, and Luke answered on the second ring. "Hey, hon."

"Hey. You still at Sookie's?"

"Yeah, and we need your help. Can you come over here for a little while?"

"For what?"

"Well, Jackson's kinda flipping out about how much a baby'll cost, so I was hoping you could sit down with a couple of beers and talk to him."

"About what?"

"I don't know, get him to view fatherhood as a positive thing."

"I'm sure you can do that. You're persuasive."

"But it'll be better coming from someone who's going through the same thing as him. You have experience being a father-to-be, you can relate."

Luke sighed. "I don't know, Lorelai. . ."

"Come on. Please, Luke? Poor Sookie should be able to celebrate her pregnancy with her husband, and she can't because he's holed up in the office all worried about stupid money stuff."

Luke sighed again. "Fine. I'll be over in a couple minutes."

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you." 

* * *

A few minutes later, Luke arrived, and after talking with the girls for a bit, he grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and walked down the hall to the office. He knocked on the door. "Jackson, it's Luke," he called. "Can I come in?"

A moment later, a surprised-looking Jackson opened the door. "Luke, what are you doing here?"

Luke held out a beer toward Jackson. "Uh, just came over to say congratulations. You know, about the baby. That's great news."

"Oh." Jackson smiled and took the beer, then shook Luke's hand. "Yeah. Thanks."

"So. . .what are you doing in here?" Luke asked. 

"Oh, just figuring some things out." Jackson walked back into the room and Luke followed him. A pile of old Consumer Reports magazines were spread across the desk, and Jackson picked one of them up. "Right now, I'm trying to find the best minivan to get."

Luke took a long swig of his beer. "Didn't you just find out you were expecting a couple of hours ago?"

"Yeah, so?" Jackson sat down at the desk and starting hitting buttons on the calculator.

"So, don't you think it's a little early to be worried about stuff like this?" 

"But this is important. There are a lot of things to figure out before the baby comes."

"Yeah, but. . .you gotta think of Sookie, here, Jackson." Luke sat down on a chair. "When she sees you doing stuff like this, she thinks you're not happy about being a father."

Jackson looked up, surprised. "What?"

"Yeah, she thinks you're so worried about this stuff. . ." Luke gestured to the papers and magazines on the desk. ". . .that you're not happy about the baby. That you're gonna resent it for costing so much."

"No, I'm happy," Jackson insisted. "I couldn't be happier. I'm ecstatic."

"Well, you have to let her know that, that's something they're always concerned about. The _very first thing_ Lorelai asked me when we found out she was pregnant was if I was happy about it. They need to be reassured, they need to know you're gonna be there for 'em." 

Jackson glanced down at the desk. "But I'm doing this stuff to make sure we're prepared."

"Yeah, but that's not how Sookie's seeing it," Luke told him. "Look, I'm with you, man. . .I think about this stuff, too. Diapers, clothes, toys, furniture, how much it's gonna cost for us to turn the spare room into a nursery. . .that stuff goes through my mind all the time. But I don't let Lorelai know I think about it."

"No?"

Luke shook his head. "No way. I just let her know how happy I am, how great it's gonna be to have a kid. . .all that stuff. That's all they wanna hear right now." 

They talked for a few minutes, then Luke stood up and patted Jackson on the shoulder. "Look, it's good to think about this stuff, but don't make such a big deal out of it. Don't let her think it's your number one priority."

Jackson nodded understandably and glanced down at the papers in front of him. "I guess I don't have to worry about this stuff right this minute. Maybe I should take her out for a late dinner to celebrate."

"Good plan. Just remember, no matter what, make sure she knows you're happy about the baby. And remind her constantly. They love that."

"Look at you, you're some sort of expert now, huh?" Jackson teased with a smirk.

Luke smiled and shrugged. "I'm learning as I go along."

Jackson stood up and extended his hand. "Thanks."

Luke shook it. "No problem." He gestured to the door. "I gotta get back to work. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Can you tell Sookie I'll be out in a few minutes? I just wanna clean this stuff up."

"Sure." Luke exited the office and headed toward the living room. It was empty, and he found all three girls in the kitchen. 

"How'd it go?" Lorelai asked. "You talk some sense into him?"

"Yeah, he'll be out in a few minutes." Luke set his beer down on the table. "I gotta get going." He walked over to Sookie and hugged her. "Congratulations again."

"Thanks, Luke," Sookie replied. "And thanks so much for coming over."

"Sure." Luke patted Rory on the head. "See you at home." 

"Bye, Luke."

Luke leaned down and kissed Lorelai goodbye. "See you in a few hours."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay. Bye, hon." Luke grabbed his coat from the living room and headed back to the diner.

* * *

That night, Lorelai was reading in the bedroom when Luke arrived home. "Hey."

Lorelai smiled and put her book aside. "Hi." 

He kissed her, then sat down on the bed. "How was the rest of your night?"

"Good. Jackson came out a little bit after you left and he was telling Sookie how happy he was about the baby," Lorelai said. "Whatever you said to him worked."

"Good, I'm glad."

"And then he wanted to take her out to dinner, and he invited us to come along, but we'd eaten already. Plus, I knew they'd rather be alone, so Rory and I just came home and watched TV." She propped her feet up on his lap and he started running his hands over her legs.

"Sounds like a nice lazy Friday night."

"Yeah, it was." She paused a moment. "What did you say to Jackson?"

Luke shrugged. "Not much. I told him not to spend too much time worrying about the cost of stuff, that he should make sure Sookie knows how happy he is about the baby, stuff like that."

"Well, you done good. It made Sookie feel a lot better, she was very grateful." Lorelai watched him rub her legs. "God, that feels good. What do I gotta do to get a back massage?"

"Ask nicely."

Lorelai batted her eyelashes and pouted her lips. "Please can you give your favorite wife a nice back rub?"

Luke stood up. "Yeah, let me just get ready for bed first."

Lorelai smiled and clapped her hands together excitedly. "Yay. Thank you."

Luke stripped down to his boxer shorts and a T-shirt, then walked to the bathroom. When he returned, Lorelai, with her pajama top now removed, was sitting cross-legged on the bed facing the headboard. 

Luke sat on the bed behind her. He pushed her hair aside so it was draped forward over her shoulder, then began gently massaging near the base of her neck. She sighed contentedly. "I get all shudder-y when you touch me."

Luke paused the massage. "Shudder-y?" 

"Yeah. There's this sensation that shoots through my body and makes it all tingly," she explained. "It feels like little shudders."

"Oh."

"Trust me, it's a good feeling."

"Okay, good." He resumed his actions, and they were both quiet for a few minutes as his hands glided slowly across the curves of her back, leaving no inch of her smooth skin untouched. 

When he was finished, he gently squeezed her shoulders. "All done." He kissed the center of her back. 

Lorelai smiled as she turned around. "That felt really good. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Tomorrow night it's your turn to do me."

Lorelai smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Gladly."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I meant reciprocate the massage." 

"Oh, yeah. That, too." She pulled her pajama top back on, then patted the bed next to her. "Cuddle with me." He situated himself on his side of the bed, and Lorelai snuggled up against him. 

They were quiet for a minute, then Lorelai cleared her throat. "So, um, in between the stimulating dinner conversation with my parents and all the stuff at Sookie's, I had an interesting talk with Rory tonight."

"About what?"

"Sex."

Luke's eyes widened. "What? Why? Did she bring it up?"

"No, I did. We were in the car talking about pregnancies or something, and then this little voice inside of me told me to talk to her about sex, to make sure that she knew that she could talk to me about it. So I brought it up."

"What'd she say about it? Have they. . ." His voice trailed off, and he was suddenly nervous to hear the answer to his implied question.

Lorelai shook her head. "No, but they've talked about it."

"Talked about it," he repeated, followed by a concerned sigh. "Geez."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"When did they talk about it? Recently?"

"A few months ago. Rory told him she wasn't ready, so they're waiting until she is. Which I'm guessing to mean that he's ready."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Please. He's a teenage boy, they're always ready." He pulled her closer and rubbed her arm. "Are you worried?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "I know she's an adult, I knew it would happen one day, and I should consider myself lucky that she wasn't like me, running around and having sex at 15, but. . .still. . ." She sighed. "It's scary, Luke."

"I know."

"My little tiny baby girl is on the verge of becoming sexually active."

"I don't like it any more than you do, trust me." He clenched his fist. "I swear to God, if he tries to talk her into it before she's ready, I'll kill him."

Lorelai rubbed his arm. "Calm down. He loves her to death, he'd never do something like that." She half-shrugged. "All we can do is wait. She says she's gonna talk to me about it first, so I'm not gonna waste my energy being concerned now."

"Kinda hard not to think about it, though."

"I know, but we have to try. I'll drive myself crazy otherwise."

"Short drive," he teased.

She nudged him with her elbow. "Shh, we don't tease each other during cuddling time."

Luke yawned. "I think cuddling time is about to transition into sleeping time anyway." He leaned across her to turn the light off, then kissed her. "Night." 

"Night."

He ran his hand over the medium-sized bulge of her stomach. "Night, baby."

"Night, Daddy," she replied in a childlike voice. He smiled and kissed her again, and they both rolled over to go to sleep.

* * *

Two weeks later, on Saturday afternoon, Lorelai walked into the diner with several shopping bags. She set the bags down at a table, then headed for Luke at the counter. "Okay, do me a favor and look at me closely." She slowly spun around in a circle. "Did you get a good look?"

Luke shrugged. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Good. Tell me – is there a sign on me somewhere that says 'please touch my stomach'?"

"Not that I saw."

"Well, then what is it with people that they feel the need to just come up to a pregnant woman they don't know and place their hands on her body?" Lorelai cried, throwing her hands up with frustration. "I hate that! Would you walk up and do that to someone you don't know?"

"Uh, I'd have to say. . .no." Luke walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.

Lorelai rested her chin on his shoulder as she hugged him back. "See, that's why I married you. . .because you don't randomly touch women's stomachs. You're a normal, 'keep your hands to yourself' kind of guy."

"Thanks." He pulled back and comfortingly rubbed her arms. "So, besides the stomach-touching, how was shopping?" 

"Exhausting," she replied. He followed her as she walked over to her table and sat down. "My back hurts, my feet are about to fall off, and I'm craving a fluffernutter sandwich like you wouldn't believe."

Luke grimaced as he sat down next to her. "Sorry, don't have all the ingredients for that one."

"I figured, that's why Rory and Lane are at Doose's right now buying me marshmallow fluff. You have peanut butter and bread, right?"

He looked weary at the thought of having to make the sandwich for her. "Yeah. . ."

"Good." She gestured to her shopping bags. "The plus side of the shopping trip is that we hit some good sales. I got a lot of maternity clothes for spring and summer."

"Good."

"I got a ton of tank tops. I think that I'm gonna wanna be wearing as little clothing as possible once the summer heat kicks in."

Luke nodded. "Yup, you gotta keep cool."

"Ooh, what time is it?" Lorelai checked Luke's watch. "Two-thirty. I have to be at the inn by four to help with the retirement party tonight." 

"How late are you gonna be?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I'm not sure. Probably 'til like eight or so."

"Make sure you're not on your feet the whole time," he warned. "I don't care how busy it gets, make sure you don't overwork yourself."

Lorelai smiled at his concern, and she patted his hand. "I know, don't worry."

The diner door opened and Lane walked in with the container of marshmallow fluff. She set it on the table. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Lorelai looked past her. "Uh, where's Rory?"

"When we came out of the market, she said she wanted to be alone and that she was going for a walk," Lane replied. She patted the marshmallow fluff. "She asked me to bring this to you."

Lorelai frowned and glanced out the window. "I wonder what's bothering her. She seemed a little off during shopping, don't you think?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah, she did. And I'm not sure, but I think it has to do with . . ." She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Dean. She seemed to kind of space out when we saw him at the market."

Lorelai glanced at Luke. "Hm."

"Wonder what that's about," Luke mussed.

"I'll talk to her before I go to work," Lorelai said. "Thanks, Lane."

"Sure. I gotta get home. Thanks for inviting me shopping." 

"You're welcome." Lorelai watched Lane walk out of the diner, then she turned to Luke and sighed. "Boy trouble."

"Sounds like it," Luke agreed.

Lorelai pointed to the container of marshmallow fluff. "Maybe you could make me a sandwich to go, and I'll go home and find out what's going on." Luke nodded. He took the container and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Lorelai was at home eating her sandwich when she heard the front door open. She jumped up from the kitchen table and walked toward the entryway calling, "Rory?"

"Yeah, it's me," was her sullen reply. 

"Sounding particularly bright and cheerful," Lorelai teased as she reached her. After shooting Lorelai an unamused look, Rory hung up her coat and started to walk toward her bedroom, but Lorelai reached out and grabbed her arm. "Whoa, honey, come here. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rory replied with a shrug. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Anything I can help you with?"

Rory shook her head. "No. I have to sort out some things, and I have to do it myself."

"Well, it might be easier for you to sort out if you talk it out with someone first," Lorelai suggested. "I have a little while before I have to go to the inn. Why don't we sit down and chat?"

Rory shook her head. "Not now. I just wanna lie down for a while." 

Lorelai frowned and rubbed Rory's shoulder. "But you'll tell me later?"

Rory nodded, then walked to her bedroom as a concerned Lorelai stared after her.

* * *

That night, Luke arrived home from work to an empty house. He took a shower, pulled on sweatpants and a T-shirt, then headed down to the kitchen to look for something to eat. 

As he was sitting at the table eating some yogurt, he heard the front door open. He stared down the hallway waiting to see who it was, and saw Rory walk to the living room. "Hey," he called.

Startled, Rory jumped and clutched her chest. "Oh, Luke, you scared me." She walked out of his view over toward the fireplace.

"Sorry." Luke stood up and walked to the living room, and as he approached he could hear her sniffle a few times as though she'd been crying. He stopped abruptly near the staircase and contemplated whether he should try to talk to her or just leave her alone. Lorelai had called him earlier and told him that Rory hadn't shared any details about what was bothering her. 

Rory was going through the shelves of videos to find something to watch, and Luke pretended to go through the mail on the desk. "So. . .what's up? Is everything okay?" He glanced over his shoulder at her, and she shrugged, followed a few seconds later by another sniffle. Luke walked to the couch, casually trying to make his way over to her. "Uh. . .you can talk to me about it if you want." He took a few more steps toward her. "Did you have a fight with Dean or something?"

Rory froze with one hand about to pull a movie from the shelf. She sighed softly, then slowly turned around to face him. Her eyes were red, her face was tear-stained, her lower lip was quivering as she struggled to hold back even more tears. 

Luke's eyes widened with concern and he quickly walked over to her. "What happened?"

Rory's plan to hold back her tears failed as they rushed down her cheeks. She buried her face against his chest, and Luke wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. She was sobbing now and her body was shaking lightly in his arms. Luke was unsure of what to say, and all that came out was, "Hey, it's okay."

It was almost a minute later before she finally pulled back from him. She wiped her eyes and mumbled, "God, I'm so sorry, Luke. I didn't mean to get all. . ." Her voice trailed off.

"Forget about it." Luke put his hands on her upper arms. "Tell me what happened. . .it was something with Dean?" Rory nodded, and he envisioned himself walking over to Dean's house and punching him out for whatever he did that made her this upset. Rory's sobbing picked up again, and she leaned back against Luke's chest. He rubbed her back. "Whatever it is, it'll be okay." 

Rory mumbled something against his chest that he couldn't understand. He pulled back a little. "What?"

"We broke up," she whispered through her sniffles. Luke frowned sympathetically and pulled her back into a hug.

* * *

A few minutes later, Luke was sitting on the couch when Lorelai arrived home. When he heard the door open, he rushed to the front entryway to greet her. "Hey."

Lorelai smiled. "Hey." She kissed him, then took off her coat.

"We have a problem," he declared.

"What kind of problem? Are you going through a mid-life crisis?" 

He glanced toward the staircase and lowered his voice. "Rory and Dean broke up."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "What? When? Why?"

"A little while ago," he replied. "She came home crying about it and all she told me was that they broke up, no details."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, the poor thing. She must be devastated."

"Seems that way. She's upstairs right now taking a shower, and she asked me to order her a pizza," Luke said. 

"Wallowing food," Lorelai said knowingly. 

"Are you gonna talk to her?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, I'll try, but I don't know if she'll feel like talking about it so soon." She noticed a wet spot on his shirt, and she pointed to it. "What happened there?"

He glanced down at it. "Oh. . .Rory used me as a tissue."

"Aw. Good thing you were here." Lorelai sighed. "Okay, we've got a possibly long night ahead of us. Did you order the pizza yet?" Luke nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go upstairs and change, and intercept her when she comes out of the bathroom. You're in charge of paying the pizza guy. Can you handle it?"

"I'll try to manage."

"Good."

Lorelai walked upstairs to her bedroom and changed out of her work clothes. She waited on her bed for the bathroom door to open, and when it did, she jumped up and rushed to the bedroom doorway.

Rory stopped short in the hallway when she saw Lorelai, and she glanced down at the floor. "Mom. . ." She fiddled with the belt of her robe.

"Hon. . ." Lorelai walked over to her. "Luke told me that. . .you guys broke up?"

Rory swallowed hard as she nodded. "Yeah." Her lower lip trembled. "It's over."

"Aw, come here." Lorelai kissed her cheek and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, hon."

They hugged for almost a minute before Rory mumbled, "I did it."

Lorelai pulled back. "You did what?"

"I initiated the breaking-up," Rory said, sniffling. "I'm the one who wanted it to end, and the look on his face was so. . .heartbreaking." The waterfall of tears began falling even faster. "I hate myself for making him so upset."

Lorelai took Rory's hand and pulled her into the bedroom, and Lorelai grabbed the box of tissues from her vanity before they sat down on the bed. "Talk to me. Get it all out."

Rory took a deep breath in an attempt to control her tears, then she began talking slowly. "Well. . . over the past few weeks, I realized that my feelings for him had changed. I don't know why – he's still the same, he still treats me like I'm everything in the world to him. . .but I don't feel like I did in the beginning." She stared down at the bed for a few seconds. "My eyes don't light up when I see him anymore. I don't spend hours thinking about him when we're not together like I used to." Rory paused to blow her nose into a tissue. "And the other day we were talking on the phone and right before we said goodbye, he said 'I love you', and I said it back to him. . .and then when I hung up, there was this voice in my head that said, 'You don't mean it the way he means it.'" Rory swallowed hard. "And the voice was right. I realized that. . . I only love him as a friend. I'm not in love with him anymore." 

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "That happens sometimes, honey. Even if the guy is great and cute and he loves you. . .it doesn't mean that you'll always love him back. People fall out of love everyday."

Rory sniffled and nodded. "When I saw him at the market this afternoon, I realized that I had to talk to him about it. I couldn't just let him think my heart was still in it like his was. So I went over to his house tonight. I think it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

Lorelai frowned. "He took it pretty bad, huh?"

Rory nodded. "He was really upset. And I hated using the stupid old 'it's not you, it's me' thing, but that's really what it is. He didn't do anything wrong, but I just. . .I don't feel the same anymore." She covered her face with her hands. "I don't want him to hate me."

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you," Lorelai assured her. "He knows you didn't purposely try to hurt him."

Rory sighed and fell back onto the pillow. Lorelai lay down next to her, and they both stared up at the ceiling. 

"How can I be in love with someone for so long and then just have the feeling go away?" Rory asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Love rarely does."

"It does for you."

"Well, it does now, but it took 34 years to get where I am," Lorelai reminded her. "You're only eighteen, hon. You'll find someone else. Someone who _does_ make your eyes light up, someone you _do_ think about all the time. Someone who makes you so happy that your stomach fills with butterflies when you hear his voice on the phone." Lorelai smiled. "Just like Luke does for me."

"I hope so."

Lorelai squeezed Rory's hand. "I promise. There's someone out there for everyone, even if it takes awhile to find 'em." They lay quietly for a while, then Lorelai sat up and rubbed her stomach. "Man, it's moving around a lot tonight."

Rory sat up. "What does it feel like?"

"Like there's a little tiny baby bumping into the walls of my stomach." Lorelai wiped away the last of Rory's tears, then patted her leg. "I smell pizza. What do you say we go eat?"

Rory nodded, then leaned over to hug Lorelai. "Thanks, Mom."

Lorelai kissed Rory's forehead. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

They both climbed off the bed and headed downstairs.

* * *

To be continued. . . 

__

Author's Note:

Thanks so much for letting me know you're still out there! You guys are so awesome. Really, all that nice feedback was encouraging enough to keep me motivated for at least 4 more chapters. And that's when I'll probably beg again for some more, so be prepared for it. ;)

To answers a couple of questions in the reviews: 

__

Will I be incorporating season 4 stuff into the story? Probably not too much, but I might bring in some small details. For instance, information about Sookie's baby or Rory's school life. 

__

How many pages are IRT and IST? IRT is about 1100 pages, and IST is about 310 so far. 

Again, thanks so much for all of your kind words. They were an extremely great motivator. :)


	18. Part 18

"It's Still There – part 18"

* * *

On Tuesday morning, Lorelai and Rory ate breakfast at the diner, and after Rory had left for school, Miss Patty and Babette came over from their table. 

"Hey, ladies." Lorelai gestured to the empty chairs at the table. "Wanna sit?"

They both sat down, and Miss Patty asked, "How have you been feeling lately, dear?" 

"Pretty good, thanks," Lorelai replied. "I'm tired a lot, but other than that, everything's fine. I'm healthy, the baby's healthy. . .everything's good."

"Well, you certainly _look_ good, doll," Babette said. "I swear, your boobs must've gone up two cup sizes!"

Lorelai smiled. "Well, uh. . .thanks for noticing, Babette. That's a nicer compliment than Michel telling me it looks like I swallowed a soccer ball." 

Miss Patty waved it off. "Oh, just ignore him, honey. You look gorgeous as ever." 

"Yeah, you've got that pregnant woman glow," Babette added. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Tell us, how's Rory holding up?"

"You mean since the breakup?" Lorelai asked, and they both nodded. "She's doing okay. I mean, even though it was her doing, she's still upset about it. They were together for so long. . ."

"Seems like it was forever," Babette interjected.

"And to suddenly be apart is something she has to adjust to," Lorelai finished. "It'll take some time, but I think she's ready to be single for awhile."

"Good, good," Miss Patty said. "I'm glad she's hanging in there."

"Have they talked since the break-up?" Babette asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "Not yet. She wants to, eventually, but she's giving him a little space right now. She knows it's even more upsetting for him than for her."

"Yeah, the poor kid's been sulking around the last few days," Miss Patty said with a frown. "He's taking it pretty hard."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, I know. He's a great kid, I hope they can stay friends."

Luke walked over to the table. "Hey." He refilled Lorelai's orange juice. "What's the conversation topic this morning?"

"Um, first it was my increased breastage, and now it's Rory and Dean's breakup," Lorelai replied. "Any comments on either?"

"No, thanks." Luke glanced out the window and saw some construction workers milling around outside. "Oh, great, is the soda shop construction starting back up again?"

"Yes, Taylor's trying to have it ready to open by May," Patty told him. 

"So I have six weeks to find a cheap arsonist," Luke muttered.

"Hm, he'd have to be a really good one who would be able to contain the fire to just the soda shop," Lorelai pointed out. "Otherwise the diner's going up in flames along with it."

Luke mulled it over. "Good point. I'll think of something else." He headed back to the counter, where Jess was eating a donut. "Hey."

Jess nodded toward him. "Hey." 

"So, uh, I talked to Andrew yesterday. He says you've been asking for extra hours lately."

"Yup."

Luke tapped the pile of schoolbooks sitting on the counter. "Work's not interfering with school, is it?"

"Nope."

"You're sure? 'Cause you know what happens if you don't pass your classes, Jess," Luke warned. "You lose the apartment."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. You only remind me every week." 

They were quiet for a minute as Luke began wiping down the counter in front of him. "So what's with the extra hours? Saving up for something?"

Jess shrugged. "Maybe." 

Luke cocked his head to the side, waiting for him to expound. "Jess. . ."

Jess sighed. "What, do you have to know everything that's going on?"

"Yes, now spill it," Luke told him. Jess shoved the last bite of donut into his mouth and mumbled something undeterminable. Luke folded his arms across his chest. "Try again." 

Jess chewed his food, then repeated, "I applied to a community college. I need to save up for it."

Luke's eyes widened with surprise. "_You_. . .applied to. . ."

"Middlesex Community College," Jess finished, somewhat defensively. "I know it ain't some big fancy school to brag about, but it's something."

Luke shook his head with disbelief. "No, I think it's great. I'm completely. . .wow. Shocked. I didn't even know you were thinking about college."

Jess shrugged. "Yeah, well, gotta do something with my life, right? This'll be a start."

"Wow." Luke was quiet for a few seconds, still digesting the news. "This wouldn't happen to be where Jill's going, is it?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm following my girlfriend to college like a stalker." Jess rolled his eyes. "No, she's going to Trinity."

"Ah." Luke cleared his throat. "Uh. . .you know, if you need help paying the tuition. . .let me know. I can help you out some." 

Jess gave him an appreciative nod, then stood up and gathered his books. "I gotta get to school." Luke nodded, and he watched Jess exit the diner.

Lorelai walked up to the counter. "Hey. What were you guys talking about? Guy stuff? Ooh, Fight Club? Because that's bad." She shook her finger at him. "Even I know the first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club."

Luke shook his head. "Get this – Jess applied to Middlesex Community College."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Wow. I didn't even know he was thinking about college."

"Me either. I can't believe it."

"That's great, though."

"Yeah, it is." Luke paused. "I think Jill had something to do with it."

"Why? Is that where she's going?" Lorelai asked.

"No, she's going to Trinity, but they were probably talking about college and he told her he wasn't going. . .and then maybe she talked him into it. Convinced him it'd be good for him."

"Or maybe he changed his mind himself when he realized he could do more with a college education," Lorelai suggested.

Luke shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know."

"Well, it's good news either way, so it doesn't really matter why he's going."

"Yeah, true."

Lorelai gestured to the door. "Mmkay, I gotta get to work. I'll see you tonight." 

"Okay." He kissed her goodbye, then stared after her until she was out of sight.

* * *

A few weeks later, Lorelai was at the front desk of the inn when Sookie came out of the kitchen on her break. The two of them started talking about morning sickness until Michel sighed loudly with annoyance and walked off. Once he was gone, they stopped talking about it and giggled to themselves.

"Ah, that's so fun," Sookie said. 

"I know," Lorelai agreed. "And let's see, today's April 3rd, so we have about three more months to annoy him with baby conversations before I'm off for maternity leave."

"Aw, don't talk about that yet." Sookie frowned. "I'm gonna miss seeing you everyday."

"Trust me, by that time I'll be in the 'I'm so sick and tired of being pregnant' stage, and with the incessant whining that accompanies that, you definitely won't wanna see me everyday." Lorelai checked her watch and sighed. "It's only four. It feels later."

"Yeah, it does," Sookie agreed. 

Lorelai groaned and rubbed her aching back. "I need to sit down. Let's go talk on the couch."

"And leave the front desk with no one covering it?" Sookie asked.

"Don't worry. As soon as Michel sees us gone, he'll come back over here." They walked across the lobby and sat down on the couch. "Ah, much better. So. . .last night, we started making plans for the nursery."

Sookie smiled. "Aw, you did? That's so exciting."

"Yeah. We're building a room on the back porch right next to the kitchen and moving all the stuff from the laundry room down there, then turning what's now the laundry room into the baby's room," Lorelai explained. 

"How long is that gonna take?" Sookie asked. "Building a room sounds like it'll take awhile."

"Luke's gonna get a couple of his friends to help him, and he said if they work on it a few days a week, it should only take about a month." Lorelai shrugged and added, "But you know how guys are when they're estimating their skills. It's never their fault if they don't get something finished in time."

"Yeah. Like one time Jackson told me it'd only take him half an hour to build me some more shelves in the pantry, and then three hours later he blames the placement of the studs in the wall for him taking so long." Sookie rolled her eyes. "Men."

They continued talking for a few minutes until they heard, "Mom!" Lorelai and Sookie both looked toward the door and saw Rory walking toward them. 

Lorelai smiled. "Hey sweets. What are you doing here?"

"Look what came in the mail today. . ." Rory smiled as she held up three large white envelopes.

Lorelai's eyes widened and she stood up. "Oh my God. Did you open them?"

Rory nodded quickly. 

"And they're all positive?" Lorelai asked.

Rory nodded again. 

Lorelai squealed and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, honey, congratulations, I'm so proud of you!"

Rory grinned and hugged her back gently. "Thanks, Mom."

Sookie stood up and joined in on the hug. "I'm proud, too. . .even though I have no idea what's going on."

The three of them broke apart, and Lorelai took the envelopes from Rory. "They're college acceptance letters, Sookie," Lorelai said proudly. She flipped through them, reading the return address labels. "From Yale, Harvard, and Princeton."

"Oh my God!" Sookie exclaimed. "You got into all three?" Rory nodded, then glanced down at the ground with an embarrassed smile. "That's so amazing. Congratulations, honey." Sookie hugged her again.

"Thank you," Rory replied appreciatively. "It's still sinking in right now. I can't believe it."

"I say we go celebrate with some cake," Lorelai suggested. "And then tonight we'll go somewhere for a special 'I got into 3 Ivy League universities' celebratory dinner. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Rory agreed. The three of them headed toward the kitchen.

* * *

That night, Luke and Lorelai were getting dressed in their bedroom for dinner. As Luke sat on the bed to put on his shoes, he shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe she got into all three. That's incredible."

Lorelai grinned. "I know. I'm just bursting with motherly pride right now like you can't imagine." She put her hands on her stomach. "Even baby's excited. It's moving around and kicking like it's trying to escape to celebrate with us."

Luke glanced at her stomach with intrigue. "It's kicking?" 

Lorelai nodded and walked over to him. "Try and feel." She took his hand and placed it on her stomach.

"I think only _you_ can feel it," Luke said. "Every time I try, I can't feel a thing."

"Well, you will sooner or later, so I want you to keep trying." She held his hand tight against her abdomen. "It should be right around here."

They held the position for half a minute before Luke sighed. "I don't feel anything."

"Shh," Lorelai hushed him. "It'll be any second now."

"Lorelai, really, this is a waste of – " And then he felt it. A light jab against his palm from inside Lorelai's stomach.

"Ooh, there it was," Lorelai said. "Did you feel it?"

Luke nodded and stared down at her stomach in amazement. "Yeah, I did. I felt it."

Lorelai smiled and sat down next to him. "See, I knew you would eventually. It was pretty cool, huh?"

Luke swallowed hard and he nodded. "Yeah, it was. . .amazing." He ran his hand over her stomach. "Will it do it again?"

Lorelai smiled at his genuine excitement. "Probably."

Luke left his hand there for another few seconds, and felt a second kick. He smiled and pulled his hand back. "That's incredible. What's it feel like inside?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's it like to feel something moving around inside of you and know that it's. . .you know, an actual person?" 

Lorelai smiled. "It's. . .indescribably cool." She ran her hands over her stomach. "It's one of the most amazing feelings in the world to be pregnant and carry a child and nurture it and keep it healthy and everything."

Luke smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I bet it is." 

"It's scary sometimes, too, though," Lorelai admitted. "To have to constantly watch what you do and eat and everything. . .to know that everything you do affects the baby's development. You're always worrying about what's okay and what's not okay. For instance, getting wasted and going skydiving – that'd be unacceptable behavior for a pregnant woman, so I have to ignore any urges to do that."

"That must be tough since you get those urges all the time," Luke said knowingly.

"Yeah, but I'm sucking it up and being strong." Lorelai stood up to finish getting dressed, and Luke watched her from the bed.

After a few minutes, he said, "So. . .today I was thinking about your birthday. . ." 

Her ears perked up and she smiled at him. "Oh yeah? What about it?"

"It's two weeks from tomorrow."

"Yes, it is."

"And I thought we could maybe go away that weekend."

She smiled. "Ooh, that'd be fun. Where'd you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that spa place in Groton we went to last year," Luke said. "What do you think?"

Lorelai smiled. "I think that's a great idea. I loved it there."

"Yeah, it was fun," Luke said. "I was also thinking that Rory could come with us this time. I think she'd like it."

Lorelai's smile widened. "Aw, yeah, it'll be like a nice little family trip."

"Yeah. That way you won't be apart from her on your birthday. Plus, I think she needs to get away from the town for a day or two."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good for her. We'll talk to her about it at dinner tonight."

* * *

The next night, Lorelai and Rory rang the doorbell of Emily and Richard's house. The maid answered the door and took their coats, and the two of them walked to the living room. 

Emily was sitting on the couch, and she stood up when they walked in. "Hello, girls."

"Hey, Grandma," Rory greeted her.

"Hey, Mom," Lorelai said. "Where's Dad?"

"Oh, he's on the phone. He'll be out in a minute." As the girls sat down on the couch, Emily eyed Lorelai's stomach. "My, you're just getting bigger and bigger every week."

Lorelai frowned. "Nice to see you, too, Mom."

"What can I get you girls to drink?" Emily walked over to the drink cart. "Oh, Lorelai, we have apple juice. I remembered that last week you asked for it and we didn't have any, so I sent the maid out to get some specifically for you."

"Aw, that was nice," Lorelai said. "Thanks."

As Emily poured the juice, she asked, "And Rory. . .coke?"

"Yes, please," Rory replied.

Emily finished pouring, then brought the two glasses to the girls. She sat down across from them and they talked until Richard joined them. After he had poured himself a drink and was sitting down, Lorelai cleared her throat. "Um, Mom, Dad, Rory received some big news yesterday. . ."

"Oh, really?" Richard asked. "Do tell."

"Yes, what is it?" Emily asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Well. . .my college acceptance letters came in the mail," Rory started.

Lorelai put her arm around her. "And our little angel here not only got into her preferred choice, but both of her equally prestigious alternatives."

"You were accepted to Yale?" Richard asked with a glint in his eye.

Rory smiled and nodded. "Yes, and Harvard and Princeton."

Emily beamed with pride. "Oh, Rory, that's wonderful!" 

"Yes, it is. And you've chosen Yale, right?" Richard asked.

"That's the plan," Rory confirmed.

Richard smiled. "Oh, that's the best news I've heard all week." He stood up and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I do believe this occasion calls for champagne. I'll be right back."

"I'll help you, Richard," Emily said. She stood up and followed him out of the room.

Lorelai smiled at Rory. "They're so proud of you, sweetie."

"Yeah. I think this would be a good time to break it to them that we won't be here for your birthday," Rory suggested.

"Ooh, good idea. We gotta get 'em before the good mood wears off."

Richard and Emily returned with three glasses of champagne and they toasted to Rory. 

When they were finished, Lorelai said, "So. . .it's April now. You know what big event happens in April, right?"

"Oh boy, do I," Richard said with a groan. "Tax day. Have you and Luke paid yours yet?"

"Uh, yeah, we took care of that a few weeks ago," Lorelai replied. "But that's not what I was referring to. Can't you think of something else that happens in April?"

"Easter?" Emily asked. 

"Oh, yes, we're having a little afternoon Easter party this year," Richard said. "And of course, you three are invited."

Lorelai scoffed. "Uh, no, guys. . .not tax day, not Easter. I was referring to my birthday. . .you know, the one that's two weeks from today. How could you forget that your only child was born in April?"

"We didn't forget," Emily insisted. "We just hadn't gotten to it yet."

"Yes, I was going to bring that up next," Richard added.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Right. Anyway, we're going on a trip that weekend so we won't be able to make it to dinner that Friday. Sorry."

Emily frowned. "Aw, that's too bad. Where are you going?"

"Oh, just this hotel and spa place in Groton," Lorelai replied. 

"Mom and Luke went there last year for a few days, and Luke wants to take her back this year for her birthday," Rory added. "And they invited me along."

"Well, that sounds nice," Emily commented.

"We're leaving on Friday afternoon and coming back on Sunday," Lorelai said. "So I don't know if we'll be back in time for the Easter party."

"Oh, what a shame," Richard remarked. "It won't start until two or so, try to stop by if you can."

"We will if we get back in time," Lorelai promised.

"Perhaps we could have cake for your birthday next week since you won't be here for your actual birthday," Emily suggested.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "That'd be nice." The maid came in and announced that dinner was ready, and the four of them headed to the dining room.

* * *

Two weeks later, in the afternoon of Lorelai's birthday, Luke was loading suitcases into the back of the SUV while Lorelai sat on the porch. When he was finished, he walked over and sat down next to her. "All set." 

"Good. Rory should be here any minute. She just had to run something to Lane." 

Luke put his arm around her. "It's not gonna be too weird, is it?"

"What?" 

"All of us sleeping in the same room," Luke said. "I was gonna get two separate ones, but. . ."

"That'd be way too much money, Luke," Lorelai interrupted. "One room is fine. There're two beds, and it's not like we're gonna be doing dirty things right next to her or something. We're just gonna be sleeping."

"I know, I just don't want her to feel weird about it"

"Unless you have erotic dreams and start moaning in your sleep, I think she'll be fine," Lorelai assured him. "It's only two nights." She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. "I'm thirty-five now."

"Yes, you are."

"You still love me even though I'm getting older?"

"Yup."

Lorelai nudged him in the side. "You're supposed to tell me that I'm not getting older."

"But you are. We all are. It's the natural progression of life, so me telling you that you're not getting older would be a flat-out lie."

Lorelai frowned up at him. "At least tell me that I don't _look_ older. . . give me an ounce of self esteem as I start the long climb up the hill of old age."

"You don't look older," Luke assured her, then kissed her gently on the cheek. "And take comfort in the fact that I'll be over the hill before you are."

Lorelai smiled. "Ah, good point. Thanks for reminding me."

"I'm back," a voice called, and they looked over to see Rory running across the front yard. "Let me just use the bathroom and I'll be right out. Did you get my suitcase?"

"Yup, everything's packed in the truck," Luke replied.

"Okay, I'll be fast." Rory rushed into the house, and a few minutes later they started the drive to Groton. 

* * *

An hour later, they were about five minutes from the hotel when Lorelai convinced Luke to stop at a small convenience store to satisfy her candy craving. She and Rory walked inside and looked around for the candy aisle, then surveyed the selection.

"You know what? It's highly probably that I'll get another candy craving at some point during the weekend," Lorelai said.

"I agree with that," Rory said.

"Right, so I think we should stock up," Lorelai suggested. "It's cheaper to buy it here than at the hotel anyway."

"Good point. Make sure you mention that to Luke when we walk out with a bag full of candy and he gets annoyed that you spent so much money on junk." 

"He can't get annoyed at me, it's my birthday." Lorelai gestured toward the front of the store. "Run and get one of those shopping baskets for me, will ya?" Rory did, and they began tossing candy bars into it. 

Just as they were finishing up, Lorelai glanced toward the end of the aisle and saw a teenage stock boy stacking cans of peanuts. She pointed him out to Rory and whispered, "Time for Mommy to be embarrassing in front of people we'll never see again for our own sadistic purposes. Follow me." She started walking toward the boy.

"Oh, God, what are you doing?" Rory whispered as she followed behind her.

"Shh." They reached the boy, and Lorelai tapped him on the shoulder. "Hi, you work here, right?"

The boy turned to them. "Yup. You need help with something?"

"Yes, I had a quick question. . ." Lorelai paused to read his name tag. "Chet. Nice name."

"Thanks."

"I'm Trishelle," Lorelai said. She gestured to Rory. "This is Brynn."

Chet nodded hello. "Hey. What can I help you with?" 

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Okay, well. . ." She lowered her voice and said with great seriousness, "I think I might be pregnant, but I'd really like to find out for sure. Could you tell me where the at-home pregnancy tests are?" Rory glanced at the ground, hiding her smirk.

Chet's eyes diverted quickly to Lorelai's undoubtedly pregnant stomach, and she struggled to keep a straight face as he eyed it with confusion. He brought his gaze back up to her face. "Uh, yeah. . .I think it's aisle 4." He pointed to the left. "That way."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks so much. Do you happen to know what the most popular brand is? Because I'd really like to get the most reliable answer I can." 

Chet shook his head with slight embarrassment. "No, sorry, I'm not sure. Um, one of the women cashiers might know."

"Okay, great, I'll go check with them. One more question. . ." Lorelai twirled a finger through her hair. "Do you know if they make some sort of at-home paternity test? I mean, if I do turn out to be pregnant, I'd like to be able to know which guy's the father right away." 

Chet's eyes widened and he stammered, "Uh. . .no. . .I don't think you can. . .uh. . ."

Rory rolled her eyes and grabbed Lorelai's arm. "I think you have to get a doctor to do that, Trishelle. Let's go." She pulled Lorelai down the aisle. 

"Thanks for your help," Lorelai called to Chet.

"Uh, sure. . ." He stared after them, confused.

Lorelai and Rory contained themselves until they reached the front of the store, then they burst into giggles. Rory shook her head in disbelief. "Oh my God, you're so completely unfit as a role model."

"But I'm fun!" she countered. "And that's all that matters. We have to do that again like a week before I'm due when I'm out to here. . ." Lorelai held both hands out in front of her stomach. "I can't wait to see the look on our victim's face."

"That would make a good hidden camera trick," Rory remarked.

"We could start our own reality show."

"Yeah, with your new video camera."

Lorelai smiled. "I still can't believe you and Luke got me that. That's such a great birthday present."

Rory smiled. "We knew you'd like it. Let's just see if you can figure out how to use it before the baby comes." They paid for the candy and walked out to the car.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they had checked into the hotel and were settling into their room up on the third floor. Rory looked around in awe, an impressed smile on her lips. "This is so nice."

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Lorelai asked. 

Rory picked up her suitcase and walked over to the two queen-sized beds. "Which bed do you guys want?"

"The one closer to the bathroom," Lorelai replied. "The shorter the late night walk, the better."

"Okay." Rory put her suitcase on the bed closer to the window. 

Lorelai walked over to Luke, who was going through some papers on the desk. "What're you doing?"

"Just reminding myself what there is to do around here," Luke replied. "When are your spa appointments?" 

"Tomorrow morning, 10:30," Lorelai replied. "How cool is it that they have a special pregnancy package? I'm so excited."

"What makes a pregnancy massage different than a regular massage?" Rory asked.

"I think you lie on your side instead of on your stomach," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "And they probably do more for the areas where pregnant women feel the most stress, like the lower back, the legs, stuff like that."

"What else is in the package besides the massage?" Luke asked.

"A facial, a manicure, pedicure, and lunch," Lorelai replied. 

"Ah. And what's in yours?" Luke asked Rory.

"The same stuff, except I'm getting a regular massage," Rory replied. 

"Are you sure you don't want one, too?" Lorelai asked him. "They have a sports massage, I think that's specifically for guys. I have no idea why it's called that, but I think maybe they throw footballs at your head while you're in there."

Luke smiled. "And as tempting as that sounds, I'll pass. I'm gonna hit the gym while you guys are getting pampered." He walked over to Rory and handed her a bunch of pamphlets. "Here, take a look, see what you feel like doing this weekend."

"Thanks." Rory sat down on the bed and started flipping through them.

Luke brought his and Lorelai's suitcases to their bed. "Let's unpack."

* * *

They went shopping at the nearby outlet stores, then returned to the hotel for dinner at the restaurant on the first floor. While they were waiting for their food to arrive, they went over the schedule for the next day. 

"Okay, the spa appointments are at 10:30, so we probably won't be outta there until. . ." Lorelai glanced at Rory. "What time do you think, hon?"

"Maybe one or two?" Rory suggested. "I don't know, though. I'm not sure how long everything takes."

"Me either." Lorelai shrugged toward Luke. "I guess we'll just all meet up at the room at some point. You sure you're gonna be able to occupy yourself for a few hours? I feel bad that you'll be all alone for so long."

Luke shrugged it off. "I'll be fine. I'll hit the gym, maybe the sauna, maybe take a nap. Don't rush your stuff on account of me." He took a sip of water. "Okay, we'll meet back at the room in the afternoon, then what?"

"Then we'll hit the aquarium," Rory said. 

"And you wanted to check out that seaport thing, right?" Lorelai asked Luke. "We can do that, too, since they're both in Mystic, then maybe do a little more shopping, and then find someplace to eat dinner."

"Or we can come back here and get room service," Luke suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be good." Lorelai gestured to Rory. "Oh, and we wanted to go in the pool sometime." 

"Yeah, but it's not that big a deal if we don't have time for it," Rory said with a shrug. 

"I'm sure you'll have time at some point," Luke said. "Either tomorrow night or Sunday morning before we check out."

"Or maybe even tonight," Lorelai suggested. Moments later their food arrived, and they continued talking while they ate. 

* * *

That night, Rory was in the bathroom taking a shower, and Luke and Lorelai were lying on their bed atop the covers. Luke was watching the news and Lorelai was flipping through the book of baby names she'd brought along. 

During a commercial, Luke shut off the television and glanced at her. "How's it going?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not good. There are like a million names in here."

"Actually, there's only 20,001," Luke pointed out. "It says it right there on the cover."

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him and mimicked, "It says it right there on the cover." She shut the book and set it on the nightstand. "Thank you, Mr. Smarty Pants. Have you looked through it yet?"

"Nope."

"When are you going to?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know."

"Maybe that's something else you can do while we're at the spa tomorrow," Lorelai suggested. "Then maybe tomorrow night we can throw out some ideas."

"Maybe," Luke agreed. He heard a noise from the bathroom, and he glanced at the door. "What's that? Hair dryer?"

Lorelai listened for a moment. "Yup." She moved closer to him and he put his arm around her. "You know, we were only here for a few days last year, but this place has a lot of memories for us. I mean, this is the place where we first heard our song."

"Yeah, I remember. We danced to it down in the restaurant."

"Yup."

"And this is the place where we decided to move in together."

Lorelai smiled. "And this is the place where you picked a fight with me just to have makeup sex."

Luke smirked. "I forgot about that."

"Not a story to pass down through the ages, but memorable nonetheless." She sighed contentedly and snuggled up against his chest. 

He kissed the top of her head. "So, birthday girl. . .how'd your birthday week turn out?"

"Very good, although I was hoping at some point you'd jump out of a giant cake naked."

"Maybe next year."

She smiled at the thought. "Yeah?"

"No, probably not."

Rory walked out of the bathroom dressed in her pajamas and she sat down on her bed. "You guys turning in soon?"

Luke sat up and stifled a yawn. "Yeah." He rubbed Lorelai's arm. "You wanna use the bathroom first?"

"Nah, I'll go when you're done." 

"Okay." Luke grabbed some clothes from the dresser and walked into the bathroom.

Lorelai moved over to Rory's bed and patted her on the knee. "How're you doing, kid?"

"Great. How're you doing, parent?"

"Pretty darn good," Lorelai replied. "Excited about going to the spa tomorrow?"

"Definitely. Can't think of a better way to start off spring break than that."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot you have off this week," Lorelai said. "Any ideas on what you're gonna do? Just hang out?"

Rory shrugged. "Probably. I think sleeping in everyday is a definite possibility."

"As it should be," Lorelai agreed. "Always take advantage of your opportunities to sleep in."

"Words to live by," Rory said. "And maybe I'll work at the inn a few afternoons."

"Not too many," Lorelai said. "You shouldn't spend every day of your vacation working."

"I won't," Rory assured her.

"Good, you need a break," Lorelai said. "Maybe I'll try to take a half-day one day and we can do something together. Have a girls night out."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, that'd be fun."

Luke walked out of the bathroom dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt to sleep in. "All done."

"Okay." Lorelai stood up, grabbed a change of clothes from the dresser, and walked into the bathroom. 

Luke situated himself under the covers of his bed, and Rory did the same with hers. They talked for a few minutes, then Lorelai returned from the bathroom, turned out the lights, and walked in between the two beds. She leaned down and kissed Rory on the cheek. "Night, hon."

"Night, Mom."

Lorelai climbed into bed next to Luke and kissed him goodnight. "Night."

"Night. Night Rory."

"Night Luke," she replied.

"Night John Boy," Lorelai said with a giggle. "Night Jim Bob, night Mary Ellen. . ."

Rory groaned into the darkness. "Mom. . ."

"Go to sleep," Luke finished.

"Tsk, you guys are no fun." Lorelai rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. "Night."

* * *

To be continued. . . 

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone! I really appreciate it. :)


	19. Part 19

"It's Still There – part 19"

* * *

The next afternoon, when Lorelai and Rory returned from the spa, Luke was sitting on the bed reading the newspaper. He set it down and smiled at them. "Hey. How was it?"

"Oh, it was soooo incredible," Lorelai gushed as she sat next to him. 

"It was probably the most relaxing three hours of my life," Rory replied. She collapsed on her own bed with a sigh. "Especially the massage. I wish I could've stayed on that massage table all day."

"Oh, God, me, too." Lorelai leaned her face toward Luke. "And feel how smooth."

Luke ran his hand over her cheek. "Soft."

Lorelai wiggled her fingers at him. "And take note of my newly manicured nails before I ruin them and all the polish chips away." 

"Nice," he commented. 

"What'd you do with your free time, Luke?" Rory asked. 

"Not much," Luke replied. "I was down at the gym for a while, then came back up here and took a shower. Watched some tv. . .ordered a sandwich for lunch. . .got a newspaper from the lobby. Just hung out and relaxed."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, I hope you weren't bored."

Luke shook his head. "No, I was fine."

"Okay, good." Lorelai smirked and tapped his knee. "And you didn't cheat on me while you were at the gym like you did last time, right?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "No, not this time."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. . .what are you guys talking about?" Rory asked, her eyes widened with surprise. "Luke cheated on you?"

"I told you about it, remember? Last time we were here, we ran into some girl at dinner and she was flirting with him right in front of me, and he told me they had met in the gym earlier that day," Lorelai reminded her. "So I sometimes kid that he cheated on me with her."

"Ah. Because who doesn't love a good infidelity joke," Rory said knowingly.

"Exactly."

"Yeah, well, since it's been like a year since the situation happened, I think we can officially lay those jokes to rest," Luke said. "The statute of limitations has passed."

Lorelai scoffed. "Puh-lease. You know there are no limits in the Gilmore world to the amount of mockery we can dish out on one incident."

"It's true," Rory confirmed. "We're like ravenous vampires. We will suck every last possible drop of life out of a mockworthy situation."

"And then we'll still keep on sucking just to be sure we haven't missed anything," Lorelai added. "And it's that commitment to excellence that really makes us proud of our mocking skills."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's quite an impressive thing you two do. I hope the baby inherits that admirable Gilmore trait." He glanced at the clock. "We should get going. Places probably close early on Saturdays."

"Okay." Lorelai climbed off the bed and walked over to the dresser. "I'm gonna go get changed, and while I'm in the bathroom, I'm going to think of really old things to mock you about to drive home the point that there's no statute of limitations." 

"Okay, you do that. I'll be in here wondering why I've never mocked the fact that you have a girl crush on Drew Barrymore when the situation is clearly begging for me to do it," Luke replied. "I think it's something called maturity."

Lorelai's eyes widened and she momentarily froze, then she slowly turned around to face him. "What'd you just say?"

Rory threw a pillow at Luke as she hissed, "Luke, you're not supposed to say anything!"

Lorelai gasped. "Rory, you told him about my girl crush?"

"He forced me!" Rory exclaimed. 

Lorelai scoffed. "He forced you? Like he held you at gunpoint and made you disclose any secrets you knew about me?"

Rory pouted. "Yes, exactly. I was so scared, Mommy. I had to tell him something."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "What else did you tell him?"

"Nothing else, I swear," Rory promised. "It was a long time ago, like back in December. And I didn't even tell him about your other girl crushes, just that one."

Lorelai groaned and threw her arms up in frustration. "Stop talking about it – now he knows there are others!"

Luke was watching the argument with an amused smirk, and he said, "She already told me there were more, but she wouldn't say who they were."

Lorelai folded her arms across her chest. "Rory, you know the unspoken rule about girl crushes – they're personal! I don't run around telling everyone about your Angelina Jolie crush."

Rory's eyes widened and she gasped. "Mom!"

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at her. "Now we're even."

Rory frowned. "I can't believe how cruel you are."

"Me? You started it!"

"Okay, quick question over here," Luke interrupted, and they both looked at him. "Are you two gonna start hitting each other? Because I don't think a fist fight would be good for the baby."

Lorelai sighed. "No, no hitting." She walked over to Rory and extended a hand. "Let's be friends again."  


"Friends who don't reveal each other's secrets," Rory added as they shook hands.

"Exactly." Lorelai pointed to Luke. "And you can't either – this conversation never leaves this room. Girl crush information is private."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Who am I gonna tell?"

"I don't know, I'm just covering my bases. I'm gonna go get changed." Lorelai walked back over to the dresser and pulled out some clothes, then went into the bathroom and closed the door.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room before Luke finally smirked at Rory. "So. . .Angelina Jolie, huh?"

* * *

They spent the afternoon exploring Mystic; they visited the aquarium, the seaport, and some stores before stopping at a restaurant for dinner. They returned to the hotel and went in the pool, then relaxed in their room for a bit before ordering room service for dessert. 

When they were finished eating, Lorelai and Luke each made a list of baby names they liked, and the three of them sat on the bed to go over the choices.

"Okay, before we start," Luke said to Lorelai. "Go through that list and cross off any names that are based solely on TV characters."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Like I would name my baby after – " Luke interrupted her by clearing his throat and he handed her the pen. She frowned at him, then reluctantly crossed off some names. "Fine, no Sydney, Anna Nicole, Bubbles, Blossom or Buttercup for a girl, and no Vaughn or SpongeBob for a boy." She frowned. "I couldn't think of any characters with good guy names."

"You wanted to name our kid SpongeBob?" Luke asked dryly. 

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, it could've been a nickname. Or a middle name."

"And you do realize that Vaughn is his last name, don't you?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, but it sounds cool as a first name." Lorelai glanced down at her list. "Now I don't have many girls' names left."

"When in doubt, you can always just go with Lorelai like you did with me," Rory suggested.

Lorelai smiled. "That'll be the backup if we can't think of another one." She glanced at Luke. "What about you?"

"What about me for what?" Luke asked.

"If it's a boy, would you want to name it after yourself?" she asked. "I mean, I wouldn't mind a Luke Junior if that's what you wanted. Or if you wanted to maybe name it after your dad or something. . ."

Luke shrugged. "I don't think we should name it after anyone. I think it should have its own original name."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

"Let's start with girls," Luke said. "Let's just alternate back and forth until one jumps out at us."

"Okay." Lorelai glanced at her list. "Julie."

Luke glanced at his list. "Caroline."

"Isabella."

"Haley."

"Hope."

Luke looked up from his list. "Hm." He said the name in his head a few times. "Put it on the 'maybe' list." 

"Isn't there a Hope in the family?" Rory asked. "The name sounds familiar."

"I have an Aunt Hopey," Lorelai replied with a nod. "I've only met her a couple of times." She gestured to Luke. "Go on."

"Courtney."

"Abigail."

"Katelyn."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Ooh, I like that. That's a maybe." She glanced back down. "Uh, Megan is my last one."

"The last ones I have are Emma and Cynthia."

Lorelai smiled. "Ooh, like Cindy Brady."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, forget Cynthia."

"Okay. . ." She made a note on her paper. "It looks like the two most popular ones are Hope and Katelyn."

"Those are both nice," Rory commented.

"I haven't gone through the whole name book yet," Luke said. "So I might find some more that I like."

Lorelai nodded. "Me, too. This is just the preliminary review, not the absolute final choices."

"Good. Okay, wanna try boys now?" Luke asked.

"Okay." She looked down at her paper. "Joshua."

"Benjamin."

"Maybe. Zachary."

"Nicholas."

"Ooh, I have that one on my list, too. Samuel."

"Brendan."

"Daniel."

"Dan Danes?" Rory piped up.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Okay, cross off Daniel. Matthew."

"Maybe. Joseph is my last one."

"Ooh, that's a possibility. My last ones are Ethan and Anthony." Lorelai frowned. "Aw, man, it's gonna be harder to narrow down a boy name. I liked a lot of those."

"Me, too," Rory said. "I liked every suggestion you guys threw out."

"My favorites were Nicholas, Matthew, and Joseph," Lorelai said. "Oh, and Benjamin."

"I like those, too," Luke agreed. "Maybe over the next few months, we'll get to like one of them more than the others."

"Or maybe we can name it Nicholas Matthew Joseph Benjamin Danes," Lorelai suggested. "We can call him Nimajoben for short."

"Now there's an original name," Rory commented.

"Oh yeah, let's send the kid to school with a death wish," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "Poor kid'll get teased every day of his life."

"All right, we'll keep thinking." Lorelai yawned and fell back against the pillow. "It's only quarter to eight and I'm completely wiped out."

"You did a lot of walking today," Luke said. "It tired you out."

"Yeah, that's probably why," Rory agreed.

"I think I'm gonna turn in," Lorelai said, stifling another yawn. "I suddenly can't keep my eyes open." She rolled onto her side and pulled the comforter up over herself.

"Are you tired?" Luke asked Rory.

"Not really."

"Me either. Why don't we head out for a little bit and let her get to sleep? Walk around the hotel, maybe check out the gift shop if it's still open. Even though I'm sure it'll be full of cheap-looking overpriced crap like all the other gift shops in the world, it'll give us something to do."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, sure. Got nothing else to do."

"Okay." Luke rubbed Lorelai's back. "We'll be back in a little while."

"Okay," she mumbled, already half asleep.

* * *

They checked out of the hotel at eleven the next morning and arrived home shortly after twelve. After they brought the suitcases in, the three of them gathered in the living room to listen to the answering machine messages. One was from Emily reminding them that if they were home in time, they could stop by for Easter lunch at two.

Luke glanced at Lorelai and Rory. "Do you guys wanna go?"

Lorelai shook her head. "I'm starting to get a headache. I just wanna spend the rest of the day relaxing in my pajamas."

"We should call 'em and tell them that we're not coming," Rory said. "Wish them a happy Easter, at least."

Lorelai waved her off. "We'll do it later when lunch has already started so they don't try to guilt us into coming." She started walking upstairs. "I'm gonna go change. Put on a movie."

* * *

A few nights later, Lorelai arrived home from work and entered the house calling, "The queen of the castle is home. . . where's the princess and the jester?" 

"I'm in here," Luke called. "Rory's not home."

Lorelai dropped her stuff by the door and kicked off her shoes before following his voice to the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, and she leaned down to kiss him. "Hi."

"Hey. So I'm the jester, not the king?"

"Yeah, but only because it's more entertaining picturing you in the multicolored jester's outfit than the king's velvet robe. It in no way reflects your level of power in the household or is meant to threaten your masculinity."

"Thank you."

She noticed some papers spread out in front of him. "What's all this?" She picked up a piece of paper and looked it over. "Yale stuff?"

"Yeah, I was looking through some of the information Rory printed from their website," Luke said. "I didn't realize tuition was gonna be so expensive."

Lorelai frowned. "We can't handle it?"

"We'll probably need to take out a loan."

Lorelai made a face of disapproval at the suggestion. "But I don't want her to be paying a loan back for the rest of her life."

"She won't be paying it back, _we_ will," Luke informed her. "I'll get it in our name."

"Well, I don't want us to have to be paying it back forever either," Lorelai said. "Isn't there something else we can do?"

Luke sighed. "Like what, Lorelai? You want me to sell a kidney? Rob a bank? Maybe kidnap a rich kid for ransom money? Did you honestly think that you'd be able to send Rory to an Ivy League school without any money troubles?"

Lorelai stared down at the table and muttered, "I don't know. I didn't think that far ahead."

They were both quiet for a moment before he said, "I'm assuming that asking your parents isn't an option you'd want to. . . " Lorelai shot him a look and he nodded. "Yeah, figured that." He leaned back in his chair. "Okay, well, we don't have to worry about it just yet. We have time before we have to start paying."

"Yeah, maybe she'll get scholarship money or financial aid or stuff like that and there'll be nothing to worry about anyway."

Luke sighed, his face full of doubtfulness. "I don't know. . .I wouldn't count on a high amount of financial aid. She probably would've gotten more back when you were supporting her alone, but now she's part of a two-income family. . ."

"So it looks like we don't need as much help," Lorelai finished with a dejected sigh. 

"Exactly." 

"So there apparently was one negative aspect to our getting married."

"Guess so." Luke shrugged. "But we'll have to see what happens. We'll figure something out."

Lorelai nodded, then added, "Let's not tell Rory about it, okay? I don't want her to worry about this kind of stuff." 

Luke nodded in agreement. "I don't either."

"Where is she anyway?" 

"She went over to Paris' house to work on stuff for the newspaper."

"Oh, right, she mentioned that, I forgot." Lorelai frowned. "Aw, I wonder if Paris is still depressed about not getting into Harvard."

"Probably."

"Poor girl, she wanted it so badly." 

"Things don't always go the way you hope they will." They were both quiet for a moment before Luke cleared his throat. "So, uh, I talked to the guys today. We're gonna start working on the back porch on Saturday."

Lorelai smiled. "Really? You mean the mysterious back porch laundry room I've been hearing so much about might finally start to take shape?"

"Yup."

Lorelai rubbed her hands together. "Cool, I'm so excited! Then we can start buying stuff to decorate the nursery." 

"Yeah." He reached out and stroked the top of her hand. "You hungry? I'll make us something for dinner."

"Yeah, I'm in the mood for something chicken-flavored."

"So, maybe. . .chicken?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, that'll work." She stood up. "I'm gonna go get changed, then I'll come help you." He cocked his head doubtfully, and she smiled. "Okay, _watch_ you." She kissed him, then started walking toward the staircase as Luke began clearing the papers off the table.

* * *

Lorelai was working at the inn on Saturday, but came home at lunch time to see how the back porch construction was coming along. She pulled into the driveway and found Luke and three of his friends sitting on the front steps drinking beer. Piles of wood and toolboxes were scattered around the yard.

As she climbed out of the Jeep, she called, "Looks like you guys are working hard."

Luke stood up and walked over to her. "Lunch break." He kissed her cheek.

"What time did they get here?" Lorelai asked.

"About an hour after you left," Luke replied as they walked over to the guys. "We've been working hard all morning."

"Hey boys," Lorelai greeted John, Jake, and Jeff, and they all said hello. 

"How're ya feeling?" Jeff asked her. 

"Good, thanks," Lorelai replied, rubbing her stomach. "Only a couple months to go before they rip this thing outta me."

"Well, I gotta come out and say it. . .you're the best damn looking pregnant woman I've ever seen," Jake commented, eyeing her up and down.

"Uh, thanks." Lorelai turned to Luke. "Did you bribe him to say that?"

"Nope, that's just the Jake Milton charm," Luke replied, rolling his eyes. "Or attempt at it."

"Yeah, I'm vaguely familiar with it from years ago," Lorelai muttered.

John smacked his brother on the arm. "And he doesn't know when to turn it off. She's taken, man."

"That's never stopped me before," Jake replied with a sly smirk. "I'm a master womanizer."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm familiar with that, too. I hope you've finally learned that you shouldn't flirt with other women when you're on a date. It's kind of a turn-off."

"What can I say, I have a short attention span," Jake said with a shrug.

"That's why he's gonna be a bachelor for life," John said.

"Yup, I've already accepted my fate," Jake said.

"Well, good luck with that." Lorelai cleared her throat. "So, uh, thanks so much for helping out with the room, guys."

"No problem," John replied. "Anything to help out a friend."

"Guys never pass up a chance to work with tools," Jeff added.

"Speaking of which. . ." Lorelai gestured to the beer. "Who came up with the brilliant idea to break out the alcohol while you're working with power tools?"

"It makes it easier to spend the whole day together with no women around if we have some liquor in us," Jake replied. 

"Ah. Okay, well, when one of you cuts off one of your appendages, try not to get blood all over my porch." She walked past them toward the front door and disappeared into the house. 

"I'll be right back," Luke said, and he walked into the house. He followed her to the kitchen. "Hey. You okay?"

She pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, then turned to him. "Yeah, why?"

Luke shrugged. "Just checking. You and Jake seemed. . .tense. . ."

Lorelai smiled and waved it off. "No, it was just harmless kidding around."

"Good."

Lorelai took a drink of her water, then looked out the back door. "It's a mess out there."

"We just finished ripping a section of the railing out," Luke explained. "Next we're gonna work on reinforcing the floor joists. Gotta make sure they're strong enough to hold the washer and dryer."

Lorelai nodded, then her eyes widened. "Oh, I almost forgot what I wanted to tell you." She set her drink down, then walked to the table and rummaged through her purse. She pulled out a piece of paper and walked over to him. "Louella – one of the chefs at the inn – well, her sister is a nurse, and Louella stopped in at the hospital to see her the other day and picked up this flier for me and Sookie."

She handed it to Luke and he read it over. "Attention expectant parents and their families, the next monthly childbirth and family preparation class will be on Saturday, May 17, 2003. . ." Luke looked up from the paper and narrowed his eyes at Lorelai. "Childbirth and family preparation class?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Louella was telling us all about it and it sounds so cool. In the first part of the class, they go over what to expect during the delivery. . .you know, the proper breathing to use and all that good stuff. And then you get a break for lunch, and then in the second part of the class, they talk about how to deal with an infant. They go through all the basics, like how to hold the baby right and how to change diapers, stuff like that."

"But you've raised a kid already, you know all that stuff," Luke pointed out.

"But _you_ don't," Lorelai countered. "And Sookie and Jackson don't either. Sookie really wants to go, and I told her we'd go, too. It wouldn't hurt for me to get a refresher on this baby stuff. It _has_ been a while since I've had to deal with it."

"But – "

"Plus, I know Rory would wanna go, and it says family members are invited." She smiled. "It'll be fun, the five of us learning about all this stuff together."

Luke cocked his head doubtfully. "I don't know."

Lorelai frowned. "Don't you wanna know what the labor will be like? Don't you wanna learn how to care for our kid?"

"Of course I do," he replied. "But can't we just rent a video about it or something? That'd be a lot more comfortable than taking a class with a bunch of strangers."

Lorelai pouted. "Come on, it'll be fun." She draped her arms over his shoulders and ran her fingers through his hair as she kissed his lips softly. "I really think it's a good idea for us to do this." Luke exhaled slowly, thinking it over, and Lorelai shrugged and added, "But if you don't want to go, you don't have to. Rory and I can just go alone with Sookie and Jackson. No big deal. Do whatever you want."

Luke sighed at her attempt at reverse psychology, and she smiled, knowing he was about to give in to it. She kissed him again to seal the deal. "So?"

"Okay. . . fine. Let's go."

Lorelai smiled. "Cool. I'll check with Rory tonight and make sure she can go, then I'll call up and register for the class tomorrow." She kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lorelai patted him on the chest. "Now go on out and play with your friends." He smiled and kissed her again before heading back out to the front porch. 

* * *

On Monday afternoon, Rory stepped off the bus at the bus stop, and as she started walking home, she heard someone call her name. She glanced around trying to pinpoint where it was coming from, and she finally spotted Jackson in front of the diner waving at her.

Rory waved back. He beckoned her toward him, and she walked over to the diner. "Hey."

"Hi. We need to talk to you," Jackson said quietly. He took her arm and pulled her into the diner.

"Who does? Where are we going?" she asked as he led her into the back. "Okay, Jackson, uh, my mom always tells me not to follow men who work with fruit into the back of restaurants, so I don't know if I should be doing this. . ." They reached the storage room where Luke waiting for them. 

"Hey, Rory," Luke greeted her. "How was school?"

"Uh, good." She glanced from Luke to Jackson. "What's going on?"

"I asked Jackson to go out and intercept you at the bus stop before you went home," Luke explained. "We've been talking about some things that we want to talk to you about."

"Oh. Like what?" Rory took her backpack off and perched herself on the edge of the desk.

"Well, Sookie asked me to talk to you or Luke about Lorelai's schedule to see when would be a good time for her to plan a surprise baby shower for Lorelai," Jackson explained. "You know, to make sure it didn't interfere with any doctor's appointments or plans with your grandparents, stuff like that."

Rory smiled. "Aw, that's so nice."

"So he stopped by a little while ago to ask me," Luke continued. "And I told him that Lorelai had been talking about throwing a shower for Sookie when Sookie's due date gets a little closer."

"Yeah, she mentioned that to me, too," Rory said with a nod. 

"So we were thinking that instead of having two different showers, that we. . ." Luke gestured to him, Rory, and Jackson. " . . . should throw one big shower for both of them."

"What do you think of that idea?" Jackson asked.

Rory smiled and nodded affirmatively. "I think it's good. One huge party would be fun."

"Okay, good, then it's settled," Luke said. "We'll do it."

"I'll tell Sookie that you and Luke think that she shouldn't have Lorelai's shower until the end of June," Jackson said. "That'll give us some time to throw the real one before she starts planning or buying anything for the one she thinks she's throwing."

"And we know Lorelai isn't thinking of doing Sookie's until September or so anyway, so we don't have to worry about that," Luke added.

"So Sookie will probably start planning in the beginning of June, so we're looking at throwing the real one sometime in May," Rory concluded.

Luke nodded. "Yeah."

Rory thought for a moment. "Well, the last two weeks are gonna be super busy for me at school with studying and finals, so before the 19th would be best for me."

"Well, we can do it that weekend then," Jackson suggested. "The 17th or 18th."

Luke thought for a moment, then said, "The 17th. That's the Saturday that we'll all be at that family class."

"Oh, right. So I guess we can't do it that day," Rory said.

"No, that's perfect," Luke said. "They'll both be at the hospital so it'll be easy to set up for the party without them seeing anything. We won't have to distract them – they'll be out of the way already."

Jackson smiled and nodded. "Oh, yeah, that does work out well." Then his smile faded and he appeared confused. "But we'll be at the hospital with them. Who's gonna set everything up?"

"We'll get other people to help us out," Luke said. "Patty, Babette. . ."

"Lane," Rory added. "Kirk."

"We'll plan it so that everything will be set up and ready by the time we get back from the class," Luke said. 

"It's gonna be a lot of work," Rory said. "We only have two and a half weeks to plan this thing."

"Well, we need to get started then." Luke pulled out his wallet and handed Rory some money. "You're in charge of invitations."

"Check," Rory said as she slipped the money into her pocket. "I'll get them today."

"I'll talk to Patty about borrowing tables and chairs," Jackson said.

"Okay, good. And I'll call Weston's and order some stuff," Luke said. 

The three of them talked for a few more minutes, then dispersed to take care of their baby-shower-related tasks. 

* * *

On Wednesday afternoon, Lorelai walked into the diner looking for Luke, and after asking Caesar where to find him, she headed toward Doose's market. She reached it just as he was walking out, and he was surprised to see her. "Hey." He kissed her. "You looking for me?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I have to tell you something. Let's sit." They walked over to a bench and sat down, and Lorelai took a deep breath. "So I got a call from my dad this morning. He said he knew that it was last minute, but he wanted to know if I was free for lunch today."

Luke's eyes narrowed with curiosity. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. So I was like, 'Is this about me sneaking booze from the drink cart when I was a teenager? Because I know it was wrong, I'm sorry, you don't have to meet with me in person to yell about it,'" Lorelai said. "And he said no, he just wanted to discuss something with me."

"So you went?"

"Yup, I just got back." Lorelai grinned as she reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. "Look at this."

"What is it?" He took it from her and opened it, and his eyes widened. "What the hell is this?"

Lorelai giggled. "A check for $75,000." 

"Yeah, I see that. Why is it made out to you?" He stood up and held the check up to the sunlight. "Is this real?"

Lorelai grinned and stood up. "Yes, it's real and it's all ours. Every last cent. Well, except for the obscene amount that the stupid government will make us pay in taxes."

Luke shook his head with confusion. "Did you ask your dad to loan us money?" 

Lorelai shook her head. "No. Long story short – when I was born, he invested in some land in my name, and it just got sold, so everyone who owned some of it gets a check. Since he invested in it in my name, I get the check."

Luke stared down at it. "You get this check. . ."

"Yes."

"For no reason."

"Yes."

"We get to keep this money?" It was still sinking in for him, and he shook his head slightly. "We don't have to pay it back to anyone?"

She smiled and shook her head. "We get to keep it and do whatever we want with it. Buy baby stuff, put it towards Yale, open up a horse farm, buy the gazebo and turn it into a private bathroom that we charge people to use. . .whatever we want."

Luke shook his head in disbelief. "Oh my God."

"I know!" Lorelai giggled excitedly. 

He smiled. "This is incredible." 

"I can already see your head spinning with ideas," Lorelai said. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that. . ." Luke took a deep breath. "I should talk to your dad."

"About what?"

"About investing some of it," Luke replied. "If we're smart with this money, we'll be able to do a lot more with it." 

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. We could make it go a long way."

"That means we don't do something stupid like run out and buy a whole new wardrobe or fifty pairs of shoes that we don't need," he warned. "Understand?"

Lorelai frowned. "Oh, come on, Luke! I can't be handed this much free money and then told that I can't spend any of it on clothes! Do you have any idea how devastatingly unfair that is? That's like locking Rory in a library and telling her not to read anything."

Luke put the check back into the envelope. "I didn't say you couldn't buy _any_ clothes, I'm saying that you shouldn't go nuts."

"I think that you, me and Rory should each get like a thousand dollars to blow on whatever we want," Lorelai suggested. "Clothes, jewelry, whatever. And then we'll put the rest toward bills and Yale and paying my parents back and investing and all that boring stuff."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "A thousand dollars each? Uh, maybe a few hundred."

Lorelai shrugged. "Whatever. I'd just hate to see it all go toward bills without us getting to have some fun with it."

"It won't," Luke assured her. He put a hand on her stomach. "We could open a college fund for the baby."

Lorelai smiled and covered his hand with hers. "Yeah, we should do that. That'd be so parentally responsible of us."

He handed her the envelope. "Here, take this to the bank before you lose it."

Lorelai put it back into her purse. "I will tomorrow. I wanna show it to Rory first."

"Okay." He kissed her, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her. 

She placed several light kisses on his cheek before resting her head against his shoulder. "I love you."

He gently stroked her back with both hands, sending chills through her body. "Love you, too." After a moment, he pulled back from her. "Are you going back to work?" Lorelai nodded, and Luke picked up his grocery bag from the bench before they started walking down the street toward the Jeep. 

* * *

To be continued . . .

Thanks for reading! Thanks for the feedback! :)


	20. Part 20

"It's Still There – part 20"

* * *

On Saturday afternoon, while Luke and his friends were in the back yard working on the porch, Lorelai and Rory were upstairs in the bedroom. Lorelai was relaxing on the bed while Rory hung up some clothes in the closet. 

"Thanks for doing that, hon," Lorelai said.

"No problem," Rory replied. "You should stay off your feet."

Lorelai glanced around the room. "You know, I never realized how girly this wallpaper is. You think Luke and his macho-ness are harboring a secret grudge against it?"

Rory hung up the skirt she was holding, then glanced around at the walls. "Nah, I don't think guys really care about wallpaper. Plus, you have so much furniture along the walls that you can't really see much of it anyway."

"This room could definitely use a makeover," Lorelai remarked. "We could put new wallpaper up, rearrange the furniture, or maybe get some new stuff." She patted the bed. "Could definitely use a new mattress. I'll have to talk to Luke about it, see what he thinks."

Rory hung up the last two shirts, then sat down on the foot of the bed. "I think maybe you should wait off on that." 

"Why? We have the money to do it, and there's no time like the present to spend money."

"Because the way Luke's been working himself lately, he's gonna end up having a heart attack soon," Rory told her. "I mean, he works 6 days a week at the diner, then he busts his butt working on the laundry room in almost all of his spare time, and then when that's done, he'll have to work on getting the nursery all fixed up. Adding another room-makeover to his to do list might be a bit much for him, don't you think?" 

Lorelai frowned. "Now you're making me feel guilty about him working so hard."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty," Rory assured her. "I'm just saying that you should wait for him to finish up the projects he's working on before you start handing him more to do." She crawled up the bed and lay down next to Lorelai.

Lorelai patted Rory on the head. "Always the voice of reason."

"Someone in the family has to be." They were quiet for a moment, and then Rory let out a sigh. "I can't believe it's May already."

"I know. A few weeks from now you'll be driving yourself insane studying for finals, and then soon after you'll officially be a high school graduate."

"Senior year went by a lot faster than I thought it would," Rory remarked. 

"The past eighteen years went by a lot faster than I thought they would," Lorelai added. "But you know what they say. . .time flies when you're a young attractive working mother raising the best kid in the world."

"Yeah, that's what I've heard." They lay on the bed talking for a few minutes, and then Rory sat up to look at the clock. "Oh, I gotta go meet Lane."

"What are you girls up to? Gonna see a movie?"

Rory climbed off the bed. "Uh, no. . .we're just gonna hang out for a while, probably listen to music or something. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Mmkay."  


"Do you need me to get you anything before I leave? A drink or something?"

"No, thanks. I think I'm just gonna rest up here for awhile, try to take a nap through all the hammering."

"Okay." Rory leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye." 

"Bye, hon."

Rory walked down the steps, grabbed her purse from the living room, then walked out the front door and headed to the backyard 

When Luke saw her, he walked over to her. "You're leaving now?" 

"Yup."

"Which place are you and Lane going to?"

Rory quickly glanced at the upstairs window to make sure Lorelai wasn't watching or listening. "That big party store in Hartford," she replied quietly. "They have the best selection of decorations." 

Luke pulled out his wallet and handed her some bills. "Spend as much as you need."

Rory smiled as she slipped the money into her purse "Words I love to hear." 

"And I'll try to keep her home," Luke said. "That way there's no chance she'll see you bringing the bags back to Lane's house. Just make sure you keep an eye out for Sookie, too."

"I will," Rory assured him. "Bye." She started to walk toward her car, then glanced back at Luke. "Hm. You think Mom'll be suspicious that I took the car to go to Lane's house?"

Luke shrugged. "She might. You never take it."

Rory thought for a minute, then decided, "I'll run upstairs and tell her that I talked to Lane and she found some CD store in another town that she wants to go to."

"That'll work."

"Okay, good. See ya later." Rory headed back into the house.

* * *

Almost an hour later, after the guys had gone home, Luke walked upstairs to take a shower. He stopped in the bedroom to get a change of clothes and found Lorelai lying on the bed. "Hey."

"Hi." She rolled from her side onto her back. "The noise stopped. Did the guys leave?"

"Yup, we're done for today. What're you doing?"

"Just resting. And thinking."

Luke climbed on the bed and lay next to her, propping himself up on his elbow. "About what?"

Lorelai shrugged. "About you. About Rory. About the baby. About my parents. . ."

"Ah, serious thinking. . ." Luke interjected.

"About why they won't let the Trix rabbit have some of that damn cereal."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I spoke too soon."

Lorelai frowned. "I feel so sorry for him. I mean, it's _his_ cereal, he's on the box – he should be able to have as much as he wants."

"Maybe the last commercial ever will be him eating a bowl on his death bed."

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, that'll be cheery for the kids to see."

"Yup." He kissed her shoulder and stroked her arm. "What do you wanna do tonight?" 

Lorelai groaned and put both of her hands on her stomach. "Push this baby out of me so I can get my figure back."

"Good luck with that."

"Thank you. What do you wanna do?"

"I don't know." Luke slowly traced the neckline of her tank top with his finger. "Count the number of freckles on your body?"

Lorelai smiled. "You've tried that before. I think you got to thirty-five before you completely gave up and turned it into foreplay."

He ran his hand over the freckles on her upper chest. "I'll try to get to thirty-six next time then." He kissed her, then leaned down to talk to her stomach. "Hi, baby. What have you been up to today?"

"It had hiccups a little while ago," Lorelai said with a smile. "I could feel 'em."

Luke glanced up at her with wide eyes. "Really? You should've called me."

"They didn't last very long," Lorelai said. "By the time you got up here, they would've been over."

"Oh, maybe next time." Luke kissed her stomach, then climbed off the bed and walked over to his dresser. He rummaged through the drawers and pulled out some clothes, then walked to the foot of the bed. "I'm gonna take a quick shower. When I'm done, maybe we can watch a movie or something."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

"And then I'll make us something for dinner," Luke suggested. "We can spend the night in."

"Sounds good. I'll be waiting in here, doing some more thinking about cereal." 

Luke smiled. "I'll be fast." He headed toward the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

The following Saturday was the grand opening of Taylor's soda shop, and Lorelai and Rory were taking in the festivities. They bought ice cream sodas and wandered out onto the sidewalk to listen to the live band perform, and soon, Lorelai saw Sookie walking toward them. 

"Hey girlie," Lorelai greeted her. "Just get here?"

"Yeah, someone was very determined to keep me in the bathroom all day," Sookie replied, patting her stomach. "But I prevailed."

"Good thing. You don't wanna let that fetus run your life now or else the kid'll never listen to you when it comes out."

"Exactly." Sookie gestured to their drinks. "How are they?"

"Excellent," Lorelai replied, and Rory nodded in agreement. "Do you wanna get one? I'll wait in line with you, and by the time we get to the front, I'll be ready for a second one."

"Okay."

"You want another one, hon?" Lorelai asked Rory. 

Rory shook her head. "No, thanks. I think I'm gonna go try to find Lane over there." She gestured to the crowd surrounding the gazebo. "I think I saw her a second ago."

"Okay." Lorelai and Sookie walked into the soda shop and stood at the end of the long line. "So where's Jackson?"

"He was on the phone and I didn't feel like waiting for him anymore," Sookie replied. "He's gonna meet me here when he's done. Where's Luke?"

"Diner."

"Not working on the construction?" 

"No, they took the day off because Luke had to work," Lorelai replied. "But Luke said he's thinking of hiring professionals to finish the rest of it anyway. It's starting to be a lot of work for 'em, so he's gonna talk to Tom about it. He's the best construction guy in town."

"Yes, he is," Sookie agreed. "What'd you guys do last night?"

"Me and Tom?" Lorelai asked. "Oh, the usual. . .played with his screwdriver."

Sookie giggled. "Okay, the image that conjures up is seriously disturbing."

Lorelai smiled. "Sorry, changing the subject now. Rory and I went to Friday night dinner, and then when we got home, Luke and I went over some more baby names."

"Come up with anything new?"

"We threw out a bunch of new girl names, but none of them were keepers," Lorelai replied. "I think we're still leaning towards Katelyn. We did add some more boys' names to the consideration pile, though. . . Evan, Austin, and Trevor."

"Ooh, those are nice," Sookie commented. 

"Yeah, but the boy list is getting so long now," Lorelai said. "We keep finding cool names that we both like. I think we'll have to start eliminating some soon."

Meanwhile, outside by the gazebo, Rory was talking to Miss Patty about the baby shower when Jackson walked over. They greeted him, then Patty told him, "I was just telling Rory about this friend of mine who plans parties for a living, and she's available next weekend to help out if we want her. She has a bunch of baby shower games she could set up for us and they sound really cute. She said there's this one game you play with rolled-up diapers. . ."

Jackson made a face. "Dirty ones?"

"No, just regular clean ones rolled up tight," Patty explained. "You throw them at some sort of target, but I can't remember what it is. And there's also baby bottle bowling, and some game with beanbags shaped like cookies. . .lots of cute things like that."

"I was just telling her that I'd have to check with you and Luke first," Rory said. "But I think it sounds like a good idea. It'll make things more fun, like a little baby shower carnival."

"Yeah, that does sound good," Jackson said. "How much will it cost?"

"I'm not positive, but I'm sure she'd give us a discount," Patty replied.

"I'll go talk to Luke about it," Rory said. "And I have to see if he remembered to order the balloons, too." She headed toward the diner and walked inside. It was empty, as most of the town was at the grand opening celebration. 

Luke was at the counter going through some receipts, and he looked up when the door opened. "Hey."

"Hey." Rory walked to the counter and sat down on a stool. "Is anyone. . ." She gestured toward the back.

"Nope, no one's here except the cook," Luke said. "What's up?"

"Did you order the balloons?" she asked, and he nodded. "Okay, good." She explained to him about Patty's friend and the carnival-like games, and after some concern about them being too childish, Rory convinced him that Lorelai would love them. 

"I'll talk to Patty about it sometime today and find out how much it'll cost. . ." Luke glanced toward the door and his eyes widened. "Oh, shh, quiet."

Rory turned around just as Lorelai walked into the diner. "There you are, sweets. What are you doing in here?"

"Mom, hi. . ." Rory shifted uncomfortably on the stool, then jumped off it. "Oh, I was just. . .uh. . .seeing if Luke wanted me to bring him anything from the soda shop. I saw that they had frozen yogurt, and I know Luke likes that, so. . ."

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, that was nice of you."

"Yeah, but he doesn't want anything." Rory started walking toward the door. "So, we can get back out there now."

"Okay, hold on. Let me at least say hello to my adorable spouse first." Lorelai turned to Luke and smiled. "Hello, adorable spouse."

Luke smiled. "Hey."

"How's it going in here?"

Luke gestured to the empty tables. "Ah, you know. . .raking in the big bucks."

Lorelai glanced around. "Yeah, it seems ridiculously busy today." She patted his hand. "Why don't you close up and come walk around with us for a while? It's nice out."

He gestured to the receipts on the counter. "Maybe a little later. I wanna finish this stuff up first." 

"Okay." She started to lean across the counter to kiss him, but her stomach prevented her from leaning too far. She pulled back with a frown. "I can't reach you."

Luke smirked and walked around to her side of the counter. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you." Lorelai kissed him. "See you later."

"Bye."

* * *

On the following Saturday morning, Luke, Lorelai and Rory picked up Sookie and Jackson, and the five of them drove to the hospital for the childbirth and family preparation class. 

As they headed down the hall toward the recreation room, Luke uncomfortably glanced around at his surroundings and muttered, "I hate hospitals."

Lorelai laced her fingers through his. "Suck it up, big guy. You'll be okay."

"Hospitals are the safest place to be," Rory pointed out. "Let's say you're walking along and you suddenly realize you have monkeypox or something. . .there are like two hundred people right here who can help you out. You aren't gonna find better odds for that anywhere else."

"Very true," Lorelai agreed. "Though if Luke's developed a new freaky hobby of playing with prairie dogs, maybe he doesn't deserve those odds."

They passed by the nurses' station, and several of the nurses greeted Sookie by name. As they walked away, Luke glanced back at them curiously, then at Sookie. "How do they know you?"

"I used to be even more clumsy than I am now," Sookie admitted. 

"She'd be in here like twice a week getting things checked over or bandaged up." Lorelai patted Sookie on the shoulder. "I'm glad you finally grew out of that phase."

"Yeah, me, too," Sookie agreed. 

They reached the recreation room and glanced in through the open door. Long tables and chairs were arranged in a classroom setup, all focused toward the front of the room where some nurses were talking. In the back of the room behind all of the tables, cushioned mats lined the floor and there were stacks of pillows everywhere.

The five of them slowly moved into the room, but they remained close to the door. There were ten minutes before the class would begin, and people had begun to sit down at the tables. As they contemplated where to sit, a 30-something year old nurse in pink scrubs walked over to them.

"Hi, there," the nurse greeted them with a cheery smile. "Don't be shy, come on in. I'm Sarah, one of the nurses who'll be teaching today."

"Nice to meet you," Lorelai said. "I'm Lorelai, one of the students who'll be having a live person ripped from her body in just a few months."

"That goes for me, too," Sookie added, raising her hand partly. "Well, except my name's not Lorelai, it's Sookie."

Sarah smiled. "Well, congratulations to both of you. And who else do we have here?" The others introduced themselves, then Sarah led them to the front of the room to sign in. She handed each of them a folder filled with papers and pamphlets for the class. "Here you go. You'll find a blank nametag in each of these, along with a pen. Us nurses always make it a goal to learn all of the students' names by the lunch break."

"Ooh, and if you don't, we get a prize, right?" Lorelai asked. "Like a free lifetime supply of diapers or something?"

Sarah chuckled. "Well, that's a bit extravagant. How 'bout you get to keep an extra pen?" 

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Lorelai warned.

"Come on, let's go sit," Luke said, taking her arm. The five of them walked to the table in the back and sat down.

After they had put on their name tags, they glanced around at the other students in the class. "There aren't any young kids here," Rory commented. 

"There's another class that's designed for families with younger kids," Sookie explained. 

"Yeah, this is the adult one," Lorelai said. "The cutoff is seventeen. They figure that's the age that kids can handle the mature stuff, so the instructors can be more candid with things."

Rory nodded understandingly. "Ah, got it."

A few minutes later, one of the nurses at the front of the room clapped her hands a few times. "Okay, we're about to get started," she announced. "Welcome to our monthly childbirth and family preparation class. Hopefully everyone has signed in and put on their nametags. My name is Peach, and since at some point I'm sure someone will ask, yes, I do like eating peaches." There was a murmur of polite laughter, and Peach gestured to the nurses next to her. "This is Sarah and Lisa. . ." They waved. ". . .and we're here to not only give you an overview of the labor process, but to also go over some of the basics of dealing with an infant."

Sarah stepped forward. "Okay, first we're gonna start by having everyone introduce themselves. If you're a mom-to-be, we'd like you to share your name and due date, and if you like, what number child this is for you. For everyone else, we'd like to know your name and relation to the mom-to-be." 

They went through the room table by table sharing their information, and when everyone was finished, the nurses talked a little about themselves. Then Lisa stepped forward. "I see we have a lot of first-time parents-to-be here today. Since first-timers are usually a bit more nervous about things, hopefully this class will help relieve you of some concerns you may have. And remember, if any of you have any questions at any point, please raise your hand and ask. That's what we're here for."

* * *

The nurses began by going over signs of labor, and how to distinguish between false and true labor. They discussed what to expect at the hospital, what kinds of machines the mom-to-be might be hooked up to, and different types of medications that could be administered to relieve pain. 

They showed a video of a woman giving birth, after which Rory immediately leaned over and whispered to Lorelai, "When the time comes, please remind me to adopt."

Lorelai smiled. "I know it looks gross and painful, but it's still a beautiful thing." She turned to Luke. "What'd you think, hon?"

Luke was staring at the blank video screen with wide eyes. Lorelai glanced around and saw that many other people had the same reaction. Lorelai patted Luke on the arm. "You okay?"

He swallowed hard as he turned to look at her. "That was. . .uh. . .interesting."

"That's one way to describe it," Jackson muttered next to him, shaking his head in disbelief. 

"That looked really scary," Sookie said nervously.

At the front of the room, Sarah rubbed her hands together. "Well, that was something, wasn't it? Any thoughts?" No one responded, and she smiled. "Okay, I can tell that some of you weren't expecting to see something quite so graphic at 10:30 in the morning. Yes, childbirth is sort of a messy process, and not always the most pleasant thing to go through, but hopefully by the time you leave today, you'll be feeling better about it."

"That's right," Lisa said. "Next we're going to go over some coaching exercises and proper breathing techniques to do during labor. For that, we're going to ask each mom-to-be and one partner to move onto the mat at the back of the room, and for everyone else to please watch from the chairs along the side of the mat."

"But before we get started with that," Peach added, "we're going to take a ten minute break. Get up and stretch a little. Vending machines are down in the lobby area for those who want to get a drink or snack, and bathrooms are down at the end of the hall."

As several people stood up and left the room, Lorelai glanced at Sookie. "Bathroom?"

"Yup."

Lorelai turned to Rory. "Hon?"

Rory shook her head. "I'm good."

"Okay." Lorelai and Sookie left the room.

"So, what'd ya think of the video?" Luke asked Jackson.

"Well, I hate to criticize the miracle of life, but it seemed pretty disgusting," Jackson replied.

Luke nodded in agreement. "Yup. And painful."

"Did you hear the way that woman was screaming?" Jackson asked in disbelief.

"I know, man. I'm glad we're not the ones going through that," Luke commented.

"Yeah, women have a higher pain tolerance for that stuff," Jackson agreed.

"Okay, guys, let's talk while we have some time alone," Rory interrupted in a quiet voice. "Is everything set for this afternoon?"

"As far as I know," Luke replied. "I gave Jess the receipt for the balloons, he's gonna pick them up at one. Babette and Morey are getting the stuff from Weston's, Kirk's setting up the drinks. . ."

"And I talked to Lane before I left," Rory said. "She's all set with the music."

Jackson checked his watch. "Patty's friend should be there already getting things set up and organized. She was gonna get started pretty early."

"I told Lane I'd call her when we were leaving here," Rory said. "So that way she can let everyone know that we're on our way."

Luke nodded. "Good idea." 

They talked for another minute or so until Rory saw Lorelai and Sookie return to the room. "Hey. Find it okay?" Rory asked them as they walked over.

"Yeah, we're all set now," Lorelai replied. She gestured to the back of the room. "We should go get a good spot back there."

They walked to the back of the room, and Rory sat in a chair on the side as the other four sat down on the mat. Over the next few minutes, the other couples joined them, and soon the nurses started handing out pillows to each couple and instructing them how to sit. When everyone was positioned correctly, the nurses began going over breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, and communication skills during labor. 

* * *

When the mat portion of the class was finished, they moved back to the tables and went over some more information, including possible problems during delivery, the topic of breastfeeding, and what the rest of the hospital stay would be like post-birth.

Then it was time for the lunch break, and the five of them ordered sandwiches at the hospital cafeteria. 

"Okay, one thing we need to work on," Lorelai said to Luke, "is our communication during labor. I think when I'm in there trying to deal with the extreme pain, I'm gonna need something a little more soothing than a tap on my arm and you muttering 'come on.'"

Rory smiled. "I noticed the words of encouragement seemed a little sparse." 

"I know, right?" Lorelai said. "I mean, throw in an 'I love you', a 'you're doing great', something more supportive."

"I just felt weird being. . .you know. . ." Luke's voice trailed off and he shrugged.

"Lovey-dovey with all those people around?" Lorelai suggested.

"Basically yes."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "If I was able to do all those funky breathing exercises in front of everyone, you could've sucked it up and been sweet to your wife. Who cares if people hear you?" 

"It was a simulated labor," Luke reminded her. "It'll be different during the real one."

Lorelai gestured toward Jackson. "You should get some tips from Jackson, he was being so supportive. He didn't care that other people were around."

Sookie smiled and patted Jackson on the arm. "Wasn't he adorable?"

"Yes, he was," Lorelai said, then shot Luke a look. 

"Then maybe Jackson should come into the delivery room with you when you have the baby," Luke suggested.

"Maybe he should," Lorelai agreed. "You wouldn't mind, would ya, Jackson?"

Jackson slowly looked up from his sandwich. "Uh. . .well . . ." He glanced at Sookie. "I'm not sure if that's. . . well, it might be a little – "

Sookie rolled her eyes. "They're kidding, sweetie. Eat your sandwich."

"So we're all done with the pre-birth stuff now, right?" Rory asked. "The rest of the class is about babies?"

Lorelai grinned. "Yup. That's the fun part."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were back in the recreation room ready to start the second part of the class. The nurses handed out baby dolls to each person, then returned to the front of the room. 

"Now, this part of the class is to help familiarize you with some of the basics of caring for infants," Lisa said. "Some of you who have other kids or have been around kids may already know most of this stuff, but for others. . .first time parents, for example. . .this is a brand new world for you guys."

  
"One of the most important things you'll all need to know is how to hold the baby," Sarah said. "We're going to ask everyone to please stand up. . ." The class stood up at their tables. "And gently pick up your babies. . ."

Lorelai put one arm under the neck of the doll and the other on its bottom, then slowly brought the doll up to her shoulder as if it was a real baby. She glanced at Luke in time to see him grab the doll by its hand and pick it up. "Luke!" she whispered, and startled, he dropped the doll back on the table and it slid onto the floor. 

"Jesus," he muttered as he bent down to pick it up. He put it on the table and turned to Lorelai with a sigh. "What?"

"You were picking it up wrong," Lorelai whispered. 

"She didn't say how to do it, so how could it be wrong?"

"Just do it like this. . ." 

Rory, Sookie, and Jackson, all cradling their dolls, watched as Lorelai quickly showed him how to pick it up correctly. Luke picked it up and held it uncomfortably over his shoulder, and they all turned toward the front of the room where the nurses were going over the different ways to hold the baby.

When they were finished with that, Peach held up a diaper at the front of the room. "Take a very good look at this – you will see more of these than you'll care to remember over the next few years. For those of you who have never changed a diaper before, don't worry – it's not a difficult task, and by the end of the first week with your newborn, you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed. Though for the sake of the baby, that's not recommended." There was some soft laughter from the class as the nurses walked around the room handing out diapers.

Peach returned to the front of the room and began going over the process step by step while Sarah and Lisa walked around supervising. 

Lorelai expertly diapered her doll. "I guess it's like riding a bicycle. . ." She checked to see how Luke was doing next to her. His doll was face down on the table as he struggled to tape the two sides of the diaper shut. "Luke. . .it's on backwards," she pointed out. "And your baby is suffocating on the table."

Luke sighed as he held the doll up. "How can it be on backwards? I followed what she said." He gestured toward Peach at the front of the room.

"Uh, no, not really. She said to do it like this." Lorelai held up her own doll with the diaper properly secured. "Trust me, the sticky parts go in the front."

"Well, maybe if we didn't sit at a table all the way in the back, I'd be able to see the demonstration better," he mumbled as he ripped the diaper off of his doll. 

Sarah walked up to their table. "Oh, are we having some trouble?"

"Just a little," Luke replied curtly.

"Don't get frustrated," Sarah said encouragingly. "Not everyone gets it on the first try. Would you like me to demonstrate?"

Luke shook his head. "No, thanks. I figured out my mistake." Sarah smiled and moved on to the next table. Luke sighed and dropped the baby doll in front of him. "This is so stupid."

"Don't worry about it, Luke," Rory said. "I had trouble, too."

"Try it again," Lorelai said to him. She handed him another diaper. "Here. Remember, the sticky tabs should end up in the front."

Luke reluctantly tried it again. He finished with the tabs in the right places, though when he picked the doll up, the diaper slid off.

"Oops. That was better, though," Lorelai said, patting him on the arm. "Just make it a little tighter next time."

Luke put the doll down. "I'm not doing it again."

"Come on, just one more time."

"I don't want to," he said through pursed lips.

Lorelai frowned at him. "Don't you wanna learn?"

"I'll learn some other time," he whispered in an annoyed tone. "I don't feel like doing it right now, okay?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes and shrugged him off. "Okay, geez." She turned to face the front of the room.

"Okay, we're gonna practice diapering for a few more minutes," Peach announced. "Then we're gonna move onto feeding the baby. . ."

* * *

It was almost two o'clock when the class finished up, and the five of them gathered their folders and headed down the hall toward the hospital exit.

"Well, that was highly informative," Rory commented. 

"Yes, it was a good introduction to parenthood," Sookie said. "Right, hon?"

"Mmhmm," Jackson agreed.

"It was a good refresher course for me," Lorelai said. "And the nurses were great."

"Yeah, they really made the class fun," Sookie agreed.

Luke was quiet through this, and Lorelai laced her fingers through his. "So. . .what'd you think?"

Luke shrugged. "It was okay."

Lorelai could tell something was bothering him. She sighed softly and turned her attention back to Sookie. Sure that they weren't paying attention, Luke glanced at Rory and made a phone-call gesture with his hand. 

Rory nodded and pulled her cell phone out of her purse. "Uh. . .I forgot, I told Lane I'd come over when I was done here, so I'm gonna call and tell her that I'm. . ." Her voice trailed off when she realized neither Lorelai or Sookie were paying attention to her cover story. 

When they walked out into the parking lot, Rory hung back, letting the others get a few feet ahead of her as she dialed Lane's number. Rory told her they would be there in a few minutes, then rushed to catch up with the others.

  
They piled into the SUV and pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Lorelai watched Luke, who was driving silently as Rory, Sookie, and Jackson talked in the backseat. Lorelai ran her hand over Luke's arm. "Hey. . .you okay?"

Luke nodded, still looking straight ahead. 

Lorelai nibbled momentarily on her bottom lip. "Are you mad about something?"

"Nope."

"You're awfully quiet," she noted. "That's how you get when you're mad."

Luke glanced at her with a sigh. "I have a headache, so I'm waiting for it to go away, okay?"

Lorelai frowned slightly. "Okay. . .sorry." She sighed softly and stared out the passenger window as they headed toward the town square.

* * *

To be continued. . .

My creative juices, including any ability to write witty banter, have been refusing to flow, so I apologize if the story has seemed a little sub-par lately. The next chapter is almost complete – it includes the baby shower and Rory's graduation, and I _hope_ to have it posted within the next few days. Thanks for all the feedback. :)


	21. Part 21

"It's Still There – part 21"

* * *

When Luke turned onto Main Street and headed toward the town square, it was Sookie who first saw the crowds gathered near the gazebo up ahead. "What's that?" 

"I don't know," Lorelai replied. "I see a lot of balloons. . .it looks like someone's having a party." She scoffed. "How come we weren't invited?"

Jackson and Rory exchanged a smile in the backseat. As the car circled the gazebo, everyone in the crowd was staring and waving enthusiastically at them. "Why are they so excited to see us?" Lorelai asked, then narrowed her eyes when she saw Kirk wearing nothing but a large diaper. "And what the hell is Kirk doing?"

Sookie suddenly gasped. "Oh my God!" She tapped Lorelai excitedly on the shoulder. "Look up there!"

Lorelai glanced up, and her eyes widened when she saw the "Congratulations Lorelai!" and "Congratulations Sookie!" signs that were hanging from the top of the gazebo.

"Oh. . .my. . .God." Lorelai clapped a hand over her mouth as she stared out at the crowd. 

"This is a party for us?" Sookie asked Jackson, and he smiled and nodded. "Oh my God!"

"Welcome to your baby shower," Luke announced as he parked the car. He got out and quickly walked around to Lorelai's door. He helped her out of the car as the other three climbed out of the backseat. 

The crowd had walked over to greet them, and the still-in-shock guests of honor talked with the townspeople for a few minutes before everyone dispersed to let them take it all in. 

Lorelai and Sookie stood staring in amazement at the scene in front of them. People were already lined up at the games and refreshment tables, balloons were everywhere, music was playing, and two large piles of presents were underneath the banners.

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "This is absolutely incredible." 

Sookie took a deep breath and fanned her face. "I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry."

"I already am." Lorelai wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes, then turned to Luke and Rory. "I'm assuming you guys had something to do with this?"

Rory smiled. "Luke, Jackson, and I planned it, but everyone else helped pull it all together." She stepped forward and hugged Lorelai. "Happy Baby Shower, Mom."

"Thank you, sweetie." Lorelai kissed her on the cheek, then stepped up to Luke. "I can't believe you were able to keep this a secret."

"Yeah. Me, either."

She smiled and kissed him. "Thank you."

He pulled her into a hug. "You're welcome."

Lorelai thanked Jackson with a hug while Sookie did the same with Rory and Luke, and then Lorelai turned to Sookie. "What do you say we go have some fun at our shower, huh?"

Sookie nodded and giggled with excitement. "Let's go!"

* * *

Lorelai and Sookie mingled with the guests and played the shower games for a while, then headed for the refreshments. They each fixed themselves a plate and sat down at a table to eat. Lorelai smiled at the tablecloth with babies all over it. "Look how cute."

"I know, everything is so amazing," Sookie said, and she put a hand to her chest. "I'm so overwhelmed, I had no idea this was coming. A joint shower was such a good idea."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, it was. I'm glad we get to share something like this with each other."

"Me, too." Sookie raised her glass of water. "To us." Lorelai smiled and clinked her cup against Sookie's. 

As they were eating, Miss Patty came to sit with them. "Hello, ladies. How are we doing?"

"Excellent," Lorelai replied. "Sookie and I were just saying how great this shower is."

"Nothing but the best for Stars Hollow's favorite knocked-up gals," Miss Patty said.

Lorelai smiled. "That's so eloquent." She glanced past Patty and saw a familiar car coming down the street. "Hm. That looks like. . ." The car pulled to a stop, and Emily and Richard climbed out. ". . .my parents. Huh."

"Aw, that's nice that they came," Sookie said.

"Yeah." Lorelai watched them pull a wrapped gift out of their trunk. "Ooh, and even nicer that they brought a present." They pulled another one out. "Ooh, two presents. One for you and one for me, I'm guessing?"

"Oh, that's so sweet," Sookie said. "We should go say hello."

Lorelai glanced down at her plate of desserts. "Hm, maybe when I'm done." She shoved a cookie in her mouth. "Where are our husbands? They mingled with us for a few minutes, then disappeared."

Sookie gestured toward the other side of the gazebo. "There are a bunch of guys over there drinking and talking about sports. They're probably with them." She stood up. "Bathroom break. Be right back."

"Okay." Lorelai glanced across the lawn and saw Rory and Lane walking over to greet Emily and Richard. After talking for a moment, the girls took the presents from them and walked away, and Emily and Richard walked over to survey the refreshments.

Lorelai sighed and stood up. "I guess I should probably go say hello before they see me and complain that I _didn't_. Watch my plate for me?"

"Will do," Patty replied.

Lorelai walked over to her parents. "Hey guys."

They turned around and smiled when they saw her. "Lorelai, hello," Emily greeted her. "Happy Baby Shower."

"Thanks, Mom. I'm glad you guys could come."

"Sorry we're late," Richard apologized. "We had a previous engagement that ran a little overtime."

"Oh, that's okay," Lorelai said.

"So, were you surprised?" Emily asked. "When Rory called to invite us a couple of weeks ago, she said it might be difficult trying to plan this thing around you and Sookie."

"Well, everyone did a good job keeping it hush-hush because we didn't suspect a thing," Lorelai said. 

"It looks like a festive gathering," Richard commented, glancing around. 

"Yeah, you guys should try some of the games," Lorelai suggested. "Baby bottle bowling and the diaper toss are my personal favorites."

"The diaper toss?" Emily wrinkled her nose with disdain at the idea.

"It's more fun than it sounds," Lorelai assured her. "So. . .uh, Sookie and I are eating at that table over there if you wanna get some food and come sit with us."

"That'd be nice," Emily replied. "We'll be right over."

Lorelai headed back to her table and stifled a giggle as she passed by Kirk, who was adjusting his oversized diaper. She sat back down with Patty and asked, "Did Kirk lose a bet to wear that thing?"

Patty glanced over at him and smirked. "No, actually, he volunteered. He even had the diaper already."

Lorelai shook her head, clearly amused. "Somebody needs to follow him around with a video camera. His life would make one hell of a reality show."

* * *

A little while later, Lorelai and Sookie found Luke and Jackson, and the four of them gathered by the gazebo to open presents. Soon blankets, bibs, toys, unisex baby clothes, bottles, diapers, and other baby-related products surrounded them. The biggest gifts were saved for last, and both of them received an infant car seat and a stroller.

After all the gifts were opened, several people came up to look at them closer, and Luke drifted away from the crowd. Lorelai watched him grab a beer from one of the drink coolers, then walk across the street and sit down on a bench in front of the dance studio.

Lorelai sighed, then leaned toward Sookie. "I can tell something's bothering Luke. . ."

"He probably still has a headache." 

"No, I think it's more than that."

"Well, he'll probably tell you later."

"Why not now? I hate when he holds things in like this and acts all moody."

"He doesn't want to ruin the baby shower," Sookie pointed out. "He's staying quiet, letting you have your moment. At least he's still here for you. . .most guys in a bad mood would just leave."  


"Yeah, true. At least he's sticking it out." Lorelai glanced back over at him nursing his beer on the bench. "I think I'm gonna. . ." She gestured toward him, and Sookie nodded understandably.

Lorelai stood up and walked over to Luke. "Hey you." 

"Hi." He took a swig of his beer and patted the bench next to him. She sat down and he put his arm around her. "How's the party?"

"It's great, I'm loving it," Lorelai replied. 

"Good."

"But I could love it a little more if I could focus my entire brain on enjoying it," Lorelai said. "But instead there's this little piece of it that's too concerned with what's bothering you, and it's throwing the whole enjoying-it thing off."

Luke sighed. "Lorelai."

"Please, Luke," Lorelai pouted. "I hate seeing that you're upset about something but not being able to fix it because you won't talk to me."

"You wouldn't be able to fix it anyway," he muttered.

"So, what, you're just gonna be grumpy forever and never tell me what's wrong?" Lorelai ran her hand over his thigh. "Come on, Luke. I love you, I need to know what's up."

Luke let out a sigh, then stood up and held out his hand. "Come on." She grabbed his hand and he helped her up, then led her into the dance studio. He shut the door behind them. "With everyone out there. . ."

"Privacy. Yeah, I get it." Lorelai sat down in a chair in the corner of the room and stared expectantly at Luke.

He finished off his beer and tossed the can in the trash, then shoved his hands in his pockets. He took a deep breath and declared, "I'm going to be a father."

Lorelai eyed him curiously for a moment. "Yeah. . .and?"

Luke shook his head. "No, you don't get it. . .I'm going to be a _father._ A _father_."

"Okay, did it just hit you today that this thing growing in my stomach is an actual kid?" Lorelai asked. "Did you think it was a cat or something?"

"No, I knew it was a kid, but. . .I don't know. . ." He shrugged. "Until today. . .it didn't really hit me that there's so much you have to know to raise a kid. And it's getting closer. . . it's only two months away. . ."

"I know."

Luke put his hands on his head and paced back and forth in front of her. He began rambling quickly, "Do you ever think that maybe it all went too fast? I mean, we got married, and then – boom – it's like the next day we're having a baby. I mean, that's not usually how it goes, right?" He threw his hands around in some aimless gestures. "There's supposed to be some sort of transition period after you get married where you take some time to get used to the whole marriage thing and then you decide to have kids and then you have them and it's all nice and spread out. I mean, I know neither of us are getting any younger, but having to go from being a bachelor to being a married father so fast is. . .it's crazy. Doesn't it seem a little crazy that we're having a baby already?" His face was red and he was out of breath from his quickly delivered diatribe. 

Lorelai stared at him with wide eyes for several moments, unsure of how to respond. Finally, she pursed her lips, closed her eyes, and shook her head in disbelief. She stood up and started walking toward the door. 

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "Wait, where are you going?"

She stopped at the door with one hand on the handle. "I'm leaving."

He walked over to her. "I just told you what's bothering me, and now you're walking away without saying anything?"

"You want me to say something?" Lorelai turned around to face him. "I think you're a jerk. There. I said something."

Luke scoffed. "What? Why am I a jerk?"

"Because of what you just said to me, Luke!" Lorelai exclaimed. She walked past him to the other side of the studio. "Ugh, I can't even look at you right now. We tried for two months to get pregnant, and then we finally did, and after months of telling me how happy you were about it, you're telling me now at my _baby_ _shower_. . ." Her lower lip trembled and she swallowed hard to hold back her tears. ". . .that you don't want this baby anymore? How could you be so. . . " Her voice trailed off into a sob and she covered her face with her hands as she began crying. "How could you do that to me?" she choked out.

Luke quickly crossed the room to her. "That's not what I said. . ." He tried to comfort her with a hug, but she nudged him away with her elbow.

"Just leave me alone," she mumbled through some sniffles.

Luke let out a frustrated sigh. "Lorelai, I didn't say that I don't want it. . ."

She wiped some tears away and took a deep breath. "I just really need to not be near you right now, Luke. Just leave."

"No, we're not done here."

Lorelai huffed. "Then I'll leave." 

She started to walk toward the door, but he grabbed her arm. "Lorelai. . .wait. . ."

"Just leave me alone, Luke," she exclaimed. "I heard you loud and clear – you don't wanna be a father. There, the discussion's over." 

"It's _not_ over," Luke said sternly. "I didn't – "

"I suppose next week you'll decide that you don't wanna be a husband anymore either," Lorelai interrupted, shaking her head slightly. "I knew things were going way too good to be true. . ."

"Will you just listen to me, please?" Luke asked loudly. "I never said I don't want this baby."

"Then why would you say what you did?" Lorelai exclaimed. "Why the hell would you tell me that maybe we moved too fast and that us having a baby is crazy?"

Luke threw his arms up with frustration and exclaimed, "Because I'm scared outta my mind to be a father!" His loud voice echoed through the empty dance studio, and Lorelai's eyes widened with surprise. He took a few deep breaths, then more calmly said, "I'm scared, okay? I wasn't before, but. . .now. . .it's only two months away." He swallowed and glanced down at the ground. "I _want_ to be a father. I just don't think I'm gonna be a good one."

Lorelai frowned and cocked her head to the side. "Aw, Luke. . ." She stepped forward and hugged him. 

He kissed her cheek and gently stroked her hair. They hugged silently for almost a minute before he whispered, "I'm just worried and freakin' out and talkin' crazy. I didn't mean what I said. . ."

Lorelai sniffled against his shoulder. "Promise?"

"Yes. I don't really think we went too fast," he assured her. "That was just. . .forget that. I want this more than anything."

"Good, because you're getting it now whether you want it or not." She pulled back and sighed up at him. "You're going to be an amazing father, Luke. Look at how you are with Rory."

Luke shook his head. "Rory's different. I never had to deal with her as a baby. I couldn't even change a diaper today at that stupid class."

"Neither could half the other guys there," Lorelai pointed out. "It's not something everyone gets down after five minutes. Plus, it was a _doll_ – they're lighter than an actual baby, so it'll be easier with the real thing."

"I wasn't good at making the bottle either."

"You're not the only one who spilled it. Accidents happen."

"I dropped the doll on the floor three times," Luke reminded her. "What if I drop our kid?"

Lorelai exhaled slowly and laced her fingers through his. "Luke. . .you're gonna be fine. I have never once doubted that you're gonna be a great dad, and you shouldn't either." 

Luke shook his head. "That class today made me realize that I'm not as ready as I thought I was."

"Forget about the class, Luke," Lorelai said. "You _are_ ready – you don't have to know every little detail about raising kids to be a good dad. Part of being a good dad is actually _wanting_ to be a good dad, and you've got that part down. Once the baby comes and you get used to it and you finally realize that you're great with it, you'll be fine. That's how it was with Rory. I was terrified at first, but after a while, you fall into this parental state of mind and everything works out." She kissed him, then comfortingly rubbed his arms as she smiled up at him. "You're gonna be great, Luke. Believe me."

Though some nervousness about fatherhood remained, Luke shook his head in amazement at how he suddenly felt better about the situation. Her words could comfort him like no one else's could. He pulled her into a hug, muttering, "God, I love you so much." He placed a few soft kisses along her neck. "Do I have to tell you how amazing you are?"

Lorelai shrugged it off. "Nah, I already know."

Luke cradled her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. As he pulled back, he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "Sorry for getting you upset."

"It's okay. You might wanna apologize to the baby, though." She ran her hands over her stomach. "I felt it jump a couple of times. I think the yelling scared it."

"Oh, right. . .I forgot it can hear in there." He crouched down in front of her and ran a hand over her stomach. "Sorry, baby. We promise not to yell anymore."

"Hey, speak for yourself," Lorelai scolded him. "You might do something to annoy me and I'll start yelling, and then the baby will be like, 'I thought they promised they wouldn't yell anymore. I guess my family is full of liars. I'm never coming out!' and then I'll have a baby stuck inside me forever and it'll be all your fault."

Luke rolled his eyes as he stood up. "Are you ready to get back out there?"

She nodded and wiped the remaining moisture from her eyes. "God, I probably look like a mess."

"You look perfect." Luke brushed her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ears. "So. . .we're good, right? You know I didn't really mean – "

"I know," she interrupted. "We're good."

"Okay. Good."

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Let's go." She took his hand and they walked out of the dance studio.

* * *

Almost two weeks later, Lorelai walked up to Michel at the front desk of the inn. "Michel, we need to talk about my maternity leave."

Michel's ears perked up and he turned to her. "Ooh, it's coming soon, no?"

"It starts in a month, so we need to start taking applications for a temporary replacement."

"For you?"

"Yes, for me. Who else would we need a replacement for?"

"For me," Michel replied. "I could take over your job and we could hire someone else to do mine."

Lorelai shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Michel frowned. "Why not? I do your job half the time anyway when you skip work for all your idiotic reasons."

"Because when I come back, you're not gonna want to go back down to your regular position," Lorelai pointed out. "You'll whine all the time about having to work under me and you'll be insufferable to be around."

"How will that be any different than it is now?"

Lorelai pondered for a moment. "Hm, good point. Let me think about it." The phone rang, and she answered it. "Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking."

"Hey, it's me," Luke replied.

"Hey, me. What's up?"

"I just talked to Tom about the construction and he said everything should be done by this weekend. He's even gonna get some guys to bring down the washer and dryer from upstairs and connect it all up for us."

Lorelai grinned. "Ooh, that's so cool. Then we can finally start getting the nursery all ready. This weekend we'll go pick out some cute baby wallpaper, okay?"

"Whatever you want."  


"Lorelai!" a voice called, and she looked up to see Sookie rushing toward her. 

"Hold on a sec, hon," Lorelai said to Luke, then covered the phone. "Hey, how was the doctor's appointment?"

"We found out the sex!" Sookie said excitedly.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "You did?"

Sookie nodded. "They did the ultrasound and they could see its little thingy!"

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, Sookie, it's a boy?" 

Sookie threw her hands up in the air. "It's a boy!"

Lorelai walked to the other side of the desk and hugged Sookie. "Congratulations, sweetie. Do you have the ultrasound picture?"

"No, Jackson took it back to work with him," Sookie replied. "I'll bring it in tomorrow."

"Okay, good," Lorelai replied. "I wanna see his little thingy."

Sookie giggled. "It's so cute!"

"You two are making me sick," Michel muttered.

"Oh, hush," Lorelai waved him off, then she smiled at Sookie. "Now you can stop calling your baby an 'it' like Luke and I do." She glanced at the phone on the counter. "Oops, Luke." She picked up the phone. "Hon?"

"Still here," Luke replied.

"Did you hear? Sookie's having a boy!"

"Yeah, I heard, " Luke replied. "I'll let you go talk to her. I'll see you at home."

"Okay. Bye." 

They hung up, and Lorelai and Sookie resumed talking about the doctor's appointment.

* * *

On Sunday afternoon, Luke and Lorelai went shopping for wallpaper, and afterward they were walking through the town square when Lorelai spotted Rory reading in the gazebo. She told Luke to go on ahead to the diner while she headed over to Rory.

"Hey, Val," Lorelai called as she approached the gazebo. 

Rory glanced over and smiled. "Stop calling me that."

Lorelai walked up the steps. "Well, valedictorian's a six syllable word, hon. Every time I say the whole thing, I use up precious energy that I should be conserving to remain strong and healthy for my unborn child."

"How 'bout sticking with Rory, then?" Rory suggested.

"No, you should be constantly reminded of your extreme greatness, and I feel it's my duty to be that reminder." Lorelai gestured to the books on the bench. "What's all this?"

"I'm studying for my last final," Rory replied. "It was kinda hard to concentrate back at the house with the guys there."

Lorelai frowned. "They're still hooking the washer and dryer up? They said they'd be done by one."

Rory shrugged. "I guess they overestimated their abilities. But it's no big deal, it's a nice day to study outside." She moved the books off the bench so Lorelai could sit next to her. "Here."

Lorelai sat down with a sigh. "Man, I'm exhausted."

"Did you find some wallpaper?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not exactly. We did find a cute border with teddy bears on it, though. We're gonna paint all the walls white to make it nice and bright and cheery, and then put the border around the center of the wall."

"Sounds good."

"Have you started writing your speech yet?"

Rory nodded. "Some of it."

Lorelai smiled. "Ooh, am I in it?"

"Yes."

"Is it gonna make me cry?"  


"Considering the fact that you were crying at a McDonald's commercial the other day, I'd say probably."

Lorelai frowned. "Hey, don't mock – it was so cute how the little girl was sharing her food with her grandmother."

"Yeah. . ." Rory gazed wistfully up toward the ceiling of the gazebo. "Reminds me of the time Grandma and I shared some McDonald's chicken nuggets."

Lorelai giggled. "Yeah, right. I'd pay good money to see Emily Gilmore eat anything from McDonald's."

Rory smiled and shrugged. "I guess I must've fabricated that memory."

"I think so."

"I probably shouldn't mention that one in my speech, then."

Lorelai smiled. "So your grandparents are in it, too?"

"Yeah. And Luke."

Lorelai's smile widened. "Aw, really?"

Rory nodded. "I'm acknowledging the people who have been there for me the most, and Luke's one of them."

"Aw, honey, that's so sweet." Lorelai blinked quickly a few times. "Okay, I'm already starting to cry."

Rory held up her hands. "No, don't. If you're gonna do it, save it for Thursday."

Lorelai took a deep breath. "I'll try." She was quiet for a few seconds, then patted Rory on the knee. "I'm sorry that your dad and Sherry can't make it."

Rory glanced down at the ground and shrugged it off. "That's okay."

"He _wants_ to be there, hon," Lorelai assured her.

"It's no big deal. Business meetings are important, too." She glanced toward Kim's Antiques. "I wish the Stars Hollow High graduation rehearsal wasn't on the same day as my graduation. I wanted Lane to come."

"Well, at least we'll get to go to hers on Friday," Lorelai pointed out. "We'll get to see Lane and Jess and all your old friends get their diplomas." 

Rory nodded. "Yeah, that should be nice."

They were quiet for a moment, then Lorelai smiled. "Hey, I'll give you twenty bucks if you say something really random at the end of your speech, like, 'Long live the purple monkeys of Bangkok!'"

Rory smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, that'd be classy."

Lorelai giggled. "Well, at least try to slip in Bangkok– that's a funny word."

"I'll consider it."

"Thank you."

* * *

On Thursday afternoon, Lorelai, Luke, Sookie and Jackson arrived at Chilton for the graduation ceremony. As they walked up the aisle between the rows of chairs, Lorelai glanced around for Emily and Richard. "Do you see my parents anywhere?"

"Nope," Luke replied. "We'll save 'em some seats."

They found an empty row and sat down, and Lorelai pulled her camera out of her purse. "Who wants to be in charge of this? I'm gonna be too busy bawling."

"I'll do it," Sookie offered. "And if I start bawling, I'll pass it to Jackson." Lorelai passed the camera to her.

Luke flipped through his graduation program until he found Rory's name. He smiled and held it toward Lorelai. "There it is."

Lorelai glanced down at it and read, "_Lorelai Leigh Gilmore – Valedictorian._" She smiled and clutched her chest. "Oh my God, look at how great it looks after her name, like it was meant to be there." She sighed and quickly wiped her tearing eyes. "I can't believe I'm crying already and we haven't even gotten to _Pomp and Circumstance _yet.These stupid third trimester emotions are driving me crazy." She glanced toward the door of the school. "We're allowed to go inside, right? I wanna see Rory before it starts."

"I'm sure you are," Sookie said. "Hurry up, you only have a few minutes."

"Okay, be right back." Lorelai walked toward the entrance of the school and went inside. She headed to the cafeteria where the graduates were waiting and finally spotted Rory in the corner of the room reading over her speech. She walked over to her. "Hey."

Rory looked up from her paper and smiled when she saw Lorelai. "Hey!" She hugged her. "Is everyone here?"

"Your grandparents aren't yet, but I'm sure they'll be here any minute." She smiled down at Rory's gown. "You look great, honey."

"Yeah?"

"Perfect. How was the rehearsal?"

"Pretty uneventful. Oh, except when one of the teachers tried to fix the microphone on the podium and almost got electrocuted."

"Ooh, electricity scares are always entertaining." Lorelai gestured to Rory's speech. "Are you nervous?"

Rory shook her head. "No, I think I'm all set."

"Attention graduates, please line up in alphabetical order," a voice boomed over the PA system.

"I better get back out there," Lorelai said.

Rory nodded. "Okay. Hey, if I fall or something, can you distract everyone by pretending to go into labor so the focus is off of me?"

Lorelai smiled. "Will do." She hugged Rory tightly. "Ah, I'm so proud of my little valedictorian."

"Thanks, Mom." Rory kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you out there."

* * *

Lorelai returned outside and found that Emily and Richard had arrived. "Hey Mom, hey Dad," Lorelai greeted them as she sat back down in her seat.

"Hello Lorelai," Emily said.

"Lorelai," Richard greeted her with a nod. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, thanks," she replied. "I'm exactly 33 weeks along today."

Emily smiled. "My goodness. . . I can't believe there's only a few weeks left to go."

"Yup. It'll be here before we know it," Lorelai said, patting her stomach. 

"Did you talk to Rory?" Luke asked. 

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she looks so cute in her gown."

"Oh, I can't wait to see her," Emily said, her face beaming with pride.

"We brought the car," Richard said.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Ooh, cool. I can't wait to see it."

"Wait, what car?" Sookie asked.

"My parents got Rory a car for a graduation present," Lorelai told her. 

"But she already has a car," Sookie pointed out.

"Yeah, but with all the driving back and forth to Yale she'll be doing, we thought it might be too much for her car," Lorelai explained. "So when my parents said they were thinking about getting her a new one, we decided it was a good idea."

"Rory doesn't know about it?" Sookie asked.

"Nope."

"What are you gonna do with the old one?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know, that'll be up to Rory," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Speaking of which, how much longer?"

Luke checked his watch. "Just a few more minutes."

* * *

At precisely 4 o'clock, the graduates walked out of the building and took their seats, and the headmaster began the ceremony with some welcoming remarks. Several speakers later, Rory was finally called up to give her valedictory speech, and she left few dry eyes among her family and friends as she praised Lorelai, Luke, and her grandparents. 

A short while later, the graduates were called in alphabetical order to receive their diplomas, and Sookie moved up toward the stage to take some close-up pictures of Rory. 

"I can't believe it's almost over," Lorelai said. "You wait 18 years for this day and then it's over in a heartbeat."

"Yes, but you remember it forever," Richard said.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore," a voice announced.

"Ooh!" Lorelai jumped slightly when she heard the name, and she smiled proudly as Rory walked onto the stage. "There she is. . ."

Rory received her diploma, then waved to everyone from the stage. They waved back, and Lorelai wiped away her tears as she watched Rory move her tassel on her cap from one side to the other. 

Lorelai sighed. "My little girl's all grown up. . ." Rory stuck her tongue out at Lorelai from the stage, and Lorelai giggled. "Well, not completely." She returned the gesture, ignored Emily's scolding, then rested her head contentedly on Luke's shoulder.

* * *

After the ceremony, Lorelai and Luke went to find Rory in the crowd while everyone else waited by the parking lot. When they finally found her, they both hugged her tightly. 

"How was my speech?" Rory asked.

"It was amazing," Lorelai assured her. "Everyone loved it. Everyone cried."

"Yeah, it was great." Luke shoved his hands in his pocket. "Thanks for what you said."

"You're welcome," Rory said. 

"Oh, yeah, Luke's part was so cute," Lorelai gushed. "Read it again."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Not right now. . ."

Lorelai pouted. "Come on, please? If you do it right now, I promise I won't nag you for not working Bangkok into your speech."

Rory sighed. "Okay, fine. . ." She pulled her speech out of her pocket and skimmed it until she came to Luke's name. "Here it is. . ._Another person I'd like to acknowledge is Luke Danes, who has felt like a stepfather to me much longer than he has actually been one. Thank you for everything you have done for me, and for all the love and support you have given me in my life as both a stepfather and as a friend."_

Lorelai smiled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "That's so nice, sweetie."

Luke uncomfortably cleared his throat. "I just have a little. . .dirt or something. . ." He turned away from them and rubbed his eyes.

Lorelai turned him back around. "Too late – we already saw the tears, tough guy."

Rory smiled and put the speech away. "Well, I'm just glad everyone liked it." She glanced around. "Speaking of everyone, where are the others?"

"They're waiting by the parking lot," Lorelai replied. "Let's go find 'em." She linked her arm through Rory's, and Luke followed them as they walked across the courtyard.

* * *

To be continued. . .

I decided not to go into too much detail with Rory's graduation since they already did it on the season 3 finale, and writing it all over again seemed kind of redundant. 

Unfortunately, my writing time will be limited over the next few days, but I'll try my hardest to have the next chapter up by next weekend. I'll say one thing – it's the chapter that the entire story has been building up to. That doesn't give away too much, right? ;)

Thanks to everyone who's still reading, and thanks for the feedback! :)


	22. Part 22

"It's Still There – part 22"

* * *

After the graduation ceremony, Richard and Emily presented a very surprised Rory with her new car. They politely declined Lorelai's invitation back to the house, and instead told Rory that they'd celebrate the occasion with a special dinner the next night. Rory hugged them, and after exchanging goodbyes with the others, Richard and Emily left. 

Rory stared down in disbelief at the car key in her hand. "I can't believe they got me a car."

"High school graduation's a big deal," Lorelai said. "They had to find the biggest and best present possible for their angel grandchild."

"If they're giving me a car now, I can't even imagine what they'd get me for graduating from college," Rory said.

"Well, if they decide to stick with the transportation theme, maybe it'll be a yacht," Lorelai suggested. "Or a helicopter."

"And I hear that if you get your Masters, you get a vacation home in Tuscany," Luke remarked.

"Which you can sail to on your yacht," Lorelai added. "Or fly to in your helicopter."

Rory smiled. "Sounds good." She glanced up at the school and sighed. "Goodbye, Chilton. It was nice knowing you."

Lorelai put her arm around Rory and they stared up the school together. "I can't believe it's finally over. Remember your first day here? It looked so huge and unconquerable."

"Yeah, I remember," Rory said with a nod. "But I finally conquered it."

"Yes, you did." Lorelai kissed her on the cheek. "Now let's go home and celebrate that conquering, huh?" She turned to Sookie and Jackson. "So, we'll meet you guys at our house?"

"Yup. We just have to stop home real quick and pick up the goodies I made," Sookie said. "We'll see you in a little while." Sookie and Jackson started walking toward their car.

"I think Lane should be home by now. I'm gonna stop by on the way home to show her the car," Rory said. "It's okay if I invite her over, right?"

"Absolutely," Lorelai replied. "Let's go." 

* * *

Back at the house, everyone else was chatting in the living room while Luke and Sookie were in the kitchen getting the desserts ready to be served. Luke was slicing one of his homemade apple pies while Sookie placed some cookies on a platter.

"Mm, I can smell the cinnamon in that pie from here," Sookie commented.

"Did I put in too much, you think?" Luke asked.

"No, it smells just about right," Sookie assured him. "Then again, don't go by me. My senses have been a little off lately because of this little guy." She patted her stomach. "He's making being a chef a little difficult."

Luke smiled. "That's great that you can call it a _he_ already. Makes me feel guilty for calling ours 'it' all the time." He heard footsteps and glanced toward the doorway as Lorelai walked into the room.

"What's taking so long?" Lorelai whined. "I'm starving. The baby needs some nourishment."

"Cake, pie, and cookies don't exactly fall into the category of nourishment," Luke told her. 

"Actually, they do," Lorelai countered. "Nourishment is defined as food, so while cake, pie, and cookies may not be _nutritional_, they are in fact still considered _nourishment_. You'd think someone who owned a diner would know that." 

"Well, in my book, the term _food_ applies very loosely to crap like this." Luke gestured to the junk food on the table.

"Yes, and that's why no one reads your book, hon," Lorelai replied. "I tried to once, it put me right to sleep." She grabbed a cookie from Sookie's platter. "You guys need help with anything?"

"Actually, we're almost done," Sookie replied. "You can take the plates and forks out there if you want."

"Will do," Lorelai replied. She picked them up from the counter and headed back to the living room. A few minutes later, Luke and Sookie brought in the desserts and everyone filled up their plates. 

* * *

When they were finished eating, the girls talked in the living room while Luke took Jackson out back to show him the new laundry room.

"The part where Lloyd goes to Diane's house and holds up the boombox and _In Your Eyes_ plays. . .come on, who didn't love that?" Lorelai asked. 

Lane nodded in agreement. "It's hard to think about that movie without that scene popping into your head."

"I think we need to have an 80's-movies marathon soon," Rory suggested. 

"Definitely," Lorelai agreed. 

"Maybe we can do it this Saturday while Jackson's helping Luke paint the nursery," Sookie suggested. "We can do it my house. We'll get pizza."

"And I'll bring the leftovers for dessert." Lorelai gestured to the food on the coffee table. "Well, if I don't eat 'em all by then."

"Sounds like a plan." Rory turned to Lane. "Can you come?"

"I think so," Lane replied. "But to make matters easier, if my mother asks, we're thinking of watching _The Ten Commandments_, _Jesus Christ Superstar, _and _The King of Kings._ And that's not lying if we say 'thinking of' because technically we're thinking about those movies right now, right?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I'm thinking about how incredibly boring movie night would be if we invited your mother."

Luke and Jackson returned to the room. "We're gonna go look at the nursery," Luke told the girls. 

"Ooh, we'll come," Lorelai said. "Sookie and Lane haven't seen it yet." She held her hands up. "Help, someone." 

Rory helped Lorelai up off the couch, and everyone walked upstairs to the unfinished nursery. Luke flipped on the lights as they walked inside. The room was empty except for the baby shower gifts that were piled in the corner of the room.

"Ooh, it looks so big," Sookie commented. 

"Yeah, this is a good-sized room for a nursery," Jackson commented.

"Once we got the laundry room stuff and all the other junk out of here, the room practically doubled in size," Luke said. 

"We don't have any of the furniture yet, but I already know how I want to set it all up." Lorelai pointed out where she wanted to put the crib, dressers, and changing table.

"Don't forget the rocking chair," Rory reminded her. "That's going in here, too, right?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Lorelai pointed toward the window. "We'll put that right over there."

"Are you keeping the hardwood in here?" Jackson said, tapping his foot on the floor.

"No, we were thinking of getting a throw rug," Luke replied. "So we'll have to pick one up before we get the furniture."

"I think – ," Lorelai started, then winced slightly and brought her hands to her stomach. "Ooh." Everyone became concerned, but she quickly waved them off. "It's just those practice contractions again. . .I'm okay. It just surprised me." Several sighs of relief were released. 

"They're called Braxton-Hicks contractions, right?" Sookie asked. "I've read about 'em, but I haven't had them yet. Do they hurt?"

Lorelai shook her head "You feel some pressure, but not pain." They talked in the nursery for a few more minutes before Lorelai's craving for ice cream led them back downstairs. 

* * *

Almost two weeks later, Lorelai and Rory were at the inn in Lorelai's office. Lorelai was on one side of the desk working on payroll checks. Rory sat across from her filling out some forms that had come in the mail from Yale.

"Mom?" Rory said.

"Hm?" Lorelai replied without looking up.

"What should I put down on these forms when it asks for your name?" 

Lorelai looked up from her papers with confusion. "You forgot my name? You feeling okay, hon?"

"I mean, do you want me to put Lorelai Danes or Lorelai Gilmore Danes? Does it matter?"

"Not to me," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Put whatever you want." She watched as Rory began writing something. "What are you putting?"

"Lorelai Danes." Rory quickly filled in the other information on the form and set it aside. "Okay, that one's done."

"Oh, hey, did you find out about that parking information my dad was talking about at dinner on Friday?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, yeah, I went online and printed it out." Rory picked up a folder and flipped through some loose pages until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a piece of paper and passed it across the desk to Lorelai. "It looks like it's gonna cost about six hundred dollars a year." Rory nibbled nervously on her bottom lip.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Wowzie."

"Yeah. It's a lot, I know."

"That must be some parking space," Lorelai said. "What, is there some guy standing there offering you free champagne and caviar every time you get out of the car?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"Or maybe a bunch of professional stylists are standing there waiting to fix your hair and makeup, and brush the lint from your clothes and get out any wrinkles that may have resulted from you sitting too long in the car." 

Rory nodded in agreement. "Also possible. That would definitely drive up the price."

Lorelai sighed down at the paper. "Six hundred bucks. . ."

"The parking in New Haven is a mess. Grandpa said getting a spot in a garage is what most students with cars do."

"I know, I remember."

Rory shrugged. "But I don't _have_ to bring the car with me."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I want you to have that car there for whenever you need it, for whenever you wanna come home."

"Are you sure?"

Lorelai nodded. "Positive. We'll call and reserve a space for you." She put the paper aside. "So. . .have you thought about what you wanna do with your other car?"

"Not really."

"We can sell it," Lorelai suggested. 

Rory shrugged and started fidgeting with her pen. "I don't know. . .I'd feel weird doing that. I mean. . .he made it for me."

Lorelai frowned sympathetically. "I know, hon. But you can't stick something like that in a box and keep it forever."

"I know."

"Too bad it's not made out of that stuff they make Shrinky-Dinks out of, 'cause then we could just aim some flame-throwers at it and shrink it down to a nice convenient size, and you'd have a nice piece of memorabilia from your first relationship."

"Yeah, that'd be good." Rory was quiet for a moment, then she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I guess. . . I just need to think about it some more."

Lorelai nodded understandably. "Okay." There was a knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opened and Michel stepped into the room. "Am I interrupting Mommy and Me class?"

"Yes, you are," Lorelai replied. "What do you want, Michel?"

"You have a phone call."

Lorelai glanced at the phone on her desk. "I didn't hear the phone ring."

"Oh, what a shame. However, since pretending to care about your hearing problems does not fall under my job description. . ." Michel turned and left the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

Lorelai frowned after him, then picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, doll," Babette replied. "It's Babette."

"Hey Babette." Lorelai glanced at the side of the phone. "Oh, my ringer was turned off." She slid the switch over.

"Excuse me?" Babette asked.

"Oh, sorry, never mind. Uh, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, dear, everything's fine. I just wanted to let you know that whatever you guys ordered from Baby's World just came in, and no one was at your house, so the delivery guys brought it over to mine."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes with confusion. "Wait, we didn't order anything from there."

"Are you sure? There are two huge boxes addressed to you. One of 'em is like twice as tall as me; took two delivery guys to lift it. And boy were they sexy."

Lorelai scratched her forehead. "Hm. Maybe Luke ordered something without me knowing. I'll call and ask him. Thanks for calling, Babette."

"No problem, doll. See you later."

Lorelai hung up the phone. "Do you know if Luke ordered anything from Baby's World?" she asked Rory. "Babette said two huge boxes came for me from there."

Rory shook her head. "Not that I know of. Maybe he's surprising you with something." 

Lorelai picked the phone back up and called the diner, and Luke told her that he didn't order anything. Both curious about the mysterious boxes, they decided to meet at home in a few minutes to see what they were.

* * *

Luke was already home when Lorelai and Rory arrived, and Morey was helping him bring the boxes over to their house. They set them in the living room, and once Morey had left, they opened the largest box. Luke peered into it. "Looks like the pieces of a crib."

"Someone sent us a crib?" Lorelai asked with wide eyes. 

Luke pulled out one of the wooden slatted-sides. "Definitely looks that way."

"Wow, looks like a nice one, too," Rory commented.

"Yeah, very nice," Lorelai agreed. "Is there a card in the box?"

Luke pulled the rest of the crib pieces out of the box, and attached to the assembly instructions was a packing slip. Luke read it over and announced, "Order placed by Emily Gilmore."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I should have known."

"And apparently, there's not only a crib, there's also a baby swing." Luke looked up from the paper. "Guess that's what's in the other box."

Lorelai groaned. She picked up the cordless phone and dialed a number as she walked toward the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked.

"Telling her to stop buying us stuff," she snapped.

Luke rolled his eyes toward Rory. "If anyone else had sent it. . ."

". . .she'd probably be fine with it," Rory finished. "I know. But you know how she is. She's always gonna have some issues with them."

In the kitchen, Lorelai sat at the table listening impatiently to the ringing on the phone. When Emily finally answered, Lorelai greeted her with, "Mom, why are you buying us stuff?"

"Excuse me?"

"You didn't have to buy us a crib and a baby swing."

"Oh, did they finally arrive?" Emily asked. "It's about time. I ordered them on Saturday."

"_Why_ did you order them, Mom?" Lorelai asked with obvious annoyance in her voice.

"Because on Friday you mentioned still not having some things for the baby yet, so I thought I'd surprise you with a few items," Emily replied. "Have you set up the crib yet? It's gorgeous, isn't it? And the best part is that it converts into a twin bed frame when the child grows out of the crib. All you'll need to buy is a mattress for it. Isn't that convenient?"

Lorelai sighed loudly. "We didn't need you to surprise us with anything, Mom. We were gonna go out and buy everything ourselves this weekend. We're perfectly capable."

"Oh, so if a baby's parents are perfectly capable of providing for their child, the child's grandparents aren't allowed to buy things for it?" Emily asked. Lorelai hesitated a moment, and Emily added, "I'm not doing this because I think you can't, Lorelai, I'm doing it to be nice."

"Yes, but – " 

"But obviously it's impossible for you to admit that I would ever do something nice." 

Lorelai sighed and reluctantly muttered, "Yes, it was a nice thing, Mother, and they're nice gifts, but – "

"Oh, good, I'm glad you like them," Emily interrupted with surprising cheerfulness. "I'll see you on Friday. Bye, Lorelai." There was a click on the other end of the phone.

"Mom?" Lorelai said. "Hello?" When there was no answer, she frowned and hung up the phone. She walked to the living room and complained, "She hung up on me," 

"Were you being mean to her?" Rory asked.

"No, I told her the gifts were nice, but before I could start my attached diatribe about how this is our first baby together and how Luke and I wanted to pick out the baby's stuff ourselves, she told me she'd see me on Friday and she hung up."

"She must've known the diatribe was coming," Luke said. 

"She does have experience with you calling and complaining about things," Rory agreed with a nod. "She knows when to get away."

Lorelai perched herself on the edge of the couch and gestured to the boxes. "So what should we do with this stuff? Send it back?"

"Why would we do that? It's nice stuff, Lorelai," Luke said. He gestured to the second box they'd opened while Lorelai was in the kitchen. "The swing's nice, and the nurses at the class said they're really helpful for infants with getting 'em to sleep."

"I know, that's why _we_ were gonna buy one," Lorelai pointed out. "We, as in us. Not we, as in my parents."

"Okay, yes, Grandma bought you things, and you hate when she does that," Rory said. "But look at it this way – here are two nice expensive things that you needed to buy and now don't have to anymore, thus saving you money that you can now spend on your grown daughter's six hundred dollar parking space."

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

"Parking at Yale's more expensive than we thought," Rory told him. 

Lorelai walked over to the pile of crib parts in the middle of the floor. "It _is_ a really nice crib," she admitted. "And apparently, it turns into a twin bed frame."

"And if anyone else had bought it for us, you'd thank them and forget about it," Luke pointed out. "So why not do the same with your parents?"  


Lorelai sighed and shrugged in defeat. "Fine, we'll keep 'em, but they're not allowed to buy us anything else this big. Bibs, sure. An outfit, okay. A rattle, fine. But if anything else big like this comes, we're sending it back. Deal?"

"Sure." Luke gestured to the swing and crib. "I'll put 'em together tonight. I gotta get back to the diner." 

"Yeah, and we gotta get back to the inn," Lorelai said. 

As the three of them walked outside, Luke glanced at Rory. "Tell me you're kidding about the six hundred dollar parking space thing."

* * *

A few Fridays later was the fourth of July, and after dinner with the grandparents, Lorelai and Rory attended the large barbecue that was thrown annually in the town square. They helped themselves to the dessert table, each grabbing some cookies decorated like flags before wandering over to a group of townspeople.

"Hey guys," Lorelai greeted them.

"Hey dolls," Babette said. "Just get here?"

"Yup." Lorelai held up a cookie. "And we wasted no time getting to the food." 

"Good, you need to stay full so that little baby stays happy," Morey remarked.

Lorelai nodded as she bit into the cookie. "Exactly. I'm only doing it for the baby."

"How was your first week of maternity leave?" Patty asked. 

"Oh my God, so relaxing," Lorelai replied. "I loved not having to get up and go to work." She put her arm around Rory. "Plus, I had my little girl home with me, so we got in a lot of mother/daughter time. Right, hon?"

Rory nodded. "Yup. We've been going shopping for dorm stuff and baby stuff, going to movies, hanging out, talking. . .it's been fun." 

Lorelai saw Taylor walking by, and she called, "How much longer 'til the fireworks start, Taylor?"

Taylor checked his watch. "Oh, about ten minutes, so I'd go get a good spot on the lawn if I was you." He continued on his way.

"I should go get Luke," Lorelai said.

"Is he at home?" Babette asked.

"No, he's at work." Lorelai gestured toward the diner.

Patty glanced across the street at it. "Oh, really? I thought it was closed tonight."

"Yeah, it's closed, but he was gonna do inventory while we were at my parents' house," Lorelai replied. "We'll see you guys later." She and Rory started walking toward the diner. "You know what I'm thinking?"

"If you're about to say that you don't understand how he could go off and get married so fast after Sydney disappeared, please don't," Rory said, rolling her eyes. "The _Alias_ finale was two months ago, we don't need to talk about it every day until September."

Lorelai scoffed. "Excuse me, that's not what I was gonna say."

"Sorry. Go ahead."

"Rory!" a voice called from behind them. They turned around and saw Lane jogging toward them. 

"Hey," Rory greeted her. "What are you doing?"

"A bunch of us are gonna go watch the fireworks at the lake," Lane said, gesturing to a group of kids over by the gazebo. "Wanna come?"

"Sure." Rory turned to Lorelai. "You don't mind, right?"

"Nope, go ahead."

"Okay. Before I go, what was it that you were thinking?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Actually, you were right, it was about the finale."

Rory smiled and rolled her eyes as she kissed Lorelai on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"Bye hon." Lorelai watched Rory and Lane walk off, then she continued to the diner. The 'Closed' sign was up, but the door was unlocked, so she walked inside and headed toward the back. "Luke?"

"Back here," he called from the storage room. Lorelai appeared at the doorway, and he smiled. "Hey." 

"Hey. The fireworks are starting in a few minutes, and Rory just went off with Lane to watch them at the lake, so I need someone to watch them with. What do you say?" 

"Sure." He walked over and kissed her. "How was dinner?" 

"Good. My parents are leaving for Martha's Vineyard tomorrow and won't be back until the 19th," Lorelai said. "So we have a few weeks off from dinner."

"Bet you're happy about that."

"Yup." They walked outside and headed across the street toward the gazebo. People had started to sit on the grass surrounding it as they waited for the fireworks to start. 

"You know what I was thinking on the way home from dinner?" Lorelai asked.

"About how disgusting it is that most kids today don't even realize what the Fourth of July signifies?" Luke gestured at the people around them. "About how their parents drag them off to some picnic like this to stuff their faces and watch fireworks without even explaining to them what the hell they're celebrating?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "Uh. . .no. I was thinking about how for months we've been saying that we'll decide on baby names _later_, and how there are only three weeks of '_later'_ left before we're going to be holding a nameless child."

"Oh. I was close."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, if by close you mean completely off the mark."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved her off. "So what's your point?'

"My point is that I think we need to settle on some names once and for all instead of constantly putting it off." They found a clear spot on the grass. Luke sat down first, and Lorelai sat down in between his legs and leaned back against him. "I think we need to vow not to go to bed tonight until we finally decide on names. Or until I get really tired. Whichever comes first."

He began gently massaging her shoulders. "Okay, fine. . .you wanna decide, let's decide. We have a girl name already, don't we?"

"No, we narrowed it down to two, but we keep changing our minds. Last week it was Hope, the week before it was Katelyn."

Luke thought about the choices for a few seconds, then declared, "I like Hope. What about you?"

"I do, too," Lorelai agreed. 

"Okay, good, then we're halfway done," Luke said. "What were our final choices for a boy?"

Lorelai ticked them off on her fingers. "Nicholas, Benjamin, Joseph – "

"Wait, I thought we cut out Joseph because you always think of Joe the pizza guy when someone says that name?" 

"Oh, yeah," Lorelai said. "We cut out Joseph, but we brought in Joshua."

"And we took out Matthew, but brought in Michael," Luke said. "So it was Nicholas, Matthew, Joshua, and Michael as the final four."

"Right. Okay, so let's think about the names while we watch the fireworks, and then we'll each say what our favorite is," Lorelai suggested, and Luke agreed. The first group of fireworks was launched, and Lorelai settled back against Luke to watch the colorful display in the sky.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the fireworks ended and the people sitting around them began to stand up and disperse. Lorelai craned her neck to look back at Luke. "Okay, I've decided on my favorite."

"Me, too."

"I really like Nicholas," she declared. "What about you?"

"I'm thinking. . .that I really like Joshua."

Lorelai gasped and turned her body around to face him. "You do? Really? Because that's my favorite!"

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "You just said Nicholas was."

"Well, I like Joshua and Nicholas both the same, but I didn't think you liked Joshua as much as the others, so I didn't think you'd pick it, so I didn't mention it. But I really like it."

"Really? So you wanna go with Joshua?"

"Yeah, definitely." Lorelai grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Ooh, I'm so excited we finally have both names." She held up her hands. "Wait, so, we're definitely going with Hope and Joshua, right? Those are our final decisions?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Cool." She smiled and patted his leg. "That's exciting. Aren't you excited?"

"I'm very excited," Luke agreed. He stood up, then helped her up off the ground. 

"Are you going back to the diner?" Lorelai asked. 

"Yeah, but only for a few minutes," Luke replied. "Come with me and then we can go home together."

Lorelai nodded and they started walking toward the diner. "Okay, so now we should do middle names. Most people would say to just put your second-choice first name as the middle name, but I don't think Hope Katelyn and Joshua Nicholas flow too well. Actually, Joshua Nicholas doesn't sound too bad. That might be a possibility, but there might be something else that flows a little better. A good flowing name is very important, you know what I mean?" She glanced at Luke, who didn't appear to be paying attention. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't really feel like doing the middle names tonight." 

"Come on, we agreed that we'd stay up until we had the names," Lorelai reminded him. "The middle names were included in that agreement."

"Sorry, you didn't specify that beforehand. I'm already out of name-picking mode."

She pouted and laced her fingers through his. "Come on, Luke."

"No, thanks."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine, we'll do it another night."

"Thank you."

"Man, you're so stubborn sometimes," she muttered.

Luke scoffed amusedly. "I'm stubborn? Hello Kettle, this is Pot. . ."

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him, and they continued toward the diner. As they approached it, Lorelai glanced up at the William's Hardware sign over the door. She thought for a moment, then suddenly stopped walking. "Wait."

Luke looked at her with concern. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I think I know what I want the boy's middle name to be." 

Luke groaned. "What, did you develop short term memory loss or something? Did we not just agree to do that another night?"

"Yes, but. . .look. . ." Lorelai glanced up at the sign, and he followed her gaze. "Wouldn't that go well with Joshua?"

"Joshua Hardware Danes?" Luke asked. "Yeah, that flows pretty well."

Lorelai smiled and nudged him. "Come on. . .seriously. What do you think?"

"Joshua William?"

Lorelai nodded. "Don't the names sound good together?"

"I guess, but William's _my_ middle name," he reminded her. 

"Yeah, I know, but I really like the way it sounds. . .Joshua William Danes. It flows so well. I know you said you didn't want to name the baby after anyone, but it's just the middle name, not the first." She took both of his hands in hers. "We don't have to decide right now. Just think about it, okay?"

Luke muttered the name a few times, then nodded. "I'll think about it."

* * *

Almost three weeks later, it was a few nights before Lorelai's due date, and Luke was asleep in bed. As he shifted his body to get more comfortable, his eyes drifted open and he saw that the bedroom light was on.

He rolled over to check on Lorelai and found her sitting up next to him. A notebook was open on her lap, and she had a watch in one hand, a pen in the other. 

"What are you doing?" Luke muttered, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"Shh, wait a minute." Lorelai glanced down at the watch and wrote something in the notebook, then turned to Luke. "Hey."

Luke glanced at the clock. "It's two o'clock in the morning. What are you doing?"

Lorelai smiled at him. "Uh, well. . .actually. . .I'm pretty sure I'm in labor."

Luke's eyes widened and he quickly sat up. "What? Are you serious?"

Lorelai nodded. "I've been having light contractions for a while, and I don't think they're the practice ones." She smiled and patted his hand. "I think this is it, hon."

Luke stared at her for a moment, digesting the words. _This is it_. He suddenly jumped out of the bed, ready to take charge. "Okay. . .labor. . .right. Let's go to the hospital. . ." He rushed over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans, then glanced over at her as he clumsily pulled them on over his boxers. "Uh, aren't you coming?"

Lorelai shook her head. "It's too soon."

Luke froze and stared at her in disbelief. "Lorelai, you're in _labor_. We should go to the hospital. That's what women do when they go into labor."

"Luke, this is the _early_ stage of labor," she told him. "It could last for hours." She gestured to the notebook. "I've been timing the contractions, they're almost thirteen minutes apart. You don't go to the hospital when they're that far apart. They'll just send me home and tell me to come back later." She patted the bed. "So come back to bed. We have awhile before the baby's coming."

Luke hesitated a moment, then climbed back into the bed with her. "You know, I'm not really prepared to deliver this baby myself in our house, so I hope you know what you're talking about."

"I do, trust me," she assured him. "Though you delivering the baby would make a great story to tell people. We'd probably make the front page of the Stars Hollow Gazette." 

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, just what I've always dreamed of." He sighed as he stared at her with concern in his eyes. "Shouldn't we at least call the doctor and tell her you're in labor?" 

"I'll call her in the morning. Nobody can do anything until the contractions are closer together, so there's no need to wake her up in the middle of the night for no reason."

He ran his fingers through her hair. "Speaking of which, why didn't you wake _me_ up?"  


"I was actually just about to," Lorelai told him. "I just wanted to make sure the contractions were in a regular pattern first."

"Do they hurt?"

  
Lorelai shook her head. "Not really. They're stronger than the fake ones, but not painful yet."

"Good. So. . .now we just wait?"

"Yeah. We'll go back to sleep, and when we wake up, we'll time the contractions again and just take it from there."

Luke nodded. Lorelai put the watch, notebook and pen on her nightstand, then got up to use the bathroom. She returned to the bedroom, turned out the light and climbed into bed. Luke waited for her to assume her usual sleeping position on her side, then he moved closer to her and held her from behind. He kissed the back of her shoulder. "Night."

"Night, hon." Lorelai nestled into his embrace, and they both closed their eyes to go back to sleep.

* * *

It was nearly seven when Lorelai woke up, and she rolled over to see if Luke was awake yet. He was lying on his side staring at her, and she smiled at him. "Hey. How long have you been up?"

"For awhile. Do you know how hard it is to sleep when you know that your wife's in labor?" he asked. "I kept waiting for you to wake up in pain and yell for me to get you to the hospital. It was freakin' me out." 

"Aw, poor guy." She kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, I'm fine." She smiled and tapped his arm excitedly. "Do you realize that we're probably only a few hours away from meeting our baby?"

Luke smiled. "I've been thinking about it all night." 

"I can't wait to just finally be able to hold it. But if this turns into one of those painful labors that lasts for days, you might wanna keep the baby away from me until the intense anger I'll be hoarding against it dies down. Just a little tip."

"I'll keep that in mind." He reached down and put his hand on her stomach. "The contractions are still coming?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup. They're getting stronger." She sat up. "We should time them for a little while, see how far apart they are."

They timed the contractions at eight minutes apart, then called the doctor. Doctor Palmer advised Lorelai to call back when the interval of contractions was down to five minutes; it was then that she should head to the hospital.

Lorelai went down to tell Rory what was going on, then went to take a shower. While he was waiting for her, Luke called Caesar to tell him he probably wouldn't be in to work for a few days, and instructed him to take care of the ordering for the next week. 

Lorelai finished up in the bathroom and Luke took his turn in the shower. Lorelai went through the bag she'd packed days ago for the hospital to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything, then she wandered into the nursery and looked around. She walked over to the crib and stared into its emptiness, trying to imagine what it would look like to see a little tiny person cuddled against the new white sheet. 

She picked up a teddy bear from atop the dresser, then sat down in the rocking chair with it. She cradled the bear like she would soon cradle her baby, and the realization at how soon it would really happen made her overwhelmed with emotions. She blinked her tears away, then closed her eyes and began rocking the chair lightly.

A few minutes later, she heard, "Hey." 

Lorelai was startled, and she opened her eyes to see Luke in the doorway. "Geez, you scared me. I'm getting you a collar with a bell on it." 

"Sorry. What are you doing?"

Lorelai shrugged and glanced around. "Just thinking about how empty it feels right now." She walked over to him and kissed him passionately before letting her body relax in the comfort of his warm embrace. "It won't feel empty much longer though."

* * *

It was a few more hours before Lorelai's contractions became five minutes apart, and they checked into the hospital shortly after 11 a.m. Lorelai settled into her room in the maternity ward, and Doctor Palmer came in with a nurse to examine her.

Doctor Palmer made some notes on her clipboard, then smiled at Lorelai. "Okay, things seem to be going well so far. I'm going to check back in on you in a little while, see how things are progressing. If there are any problems or questions, just use the call button and a nurse will be right in."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, thanks."

"Yeah, thank you, Doctor," Luke added.

The doctor and nurse left the room, and Luke and Rory stepped closer to Lorelai's bed. 

"I can't believe you're about to have a baby," Rory gushed. "I'm so excited."

Lorelai smiled. "_You're_ excited? Do you know how much I'm looking forward to getting back to my real clothes? Goodbye pants with elastic waistbands, nice knowing you."

"You're about to give birth and that's all you're thinking about?" Luke asked. "Clothes?"

Lorelai scoffed. "No, that's not _all_ I'm thinking about. I'm also thinking about how I can resume to my normal level of alcohol consumption. Do you think that right after the birth, the doctors will let me drink a beer to celebrate?"

Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm seriously doubting it."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, that stinks." 

"When are you gonna call Grandma and Grandpa?" Rory asked.

"After the baby's born," Lorelai replied.

"But I think they'd probably wanna know that you're at the hospital already."

"Yeah, but if I tell them I'm at the hospital, then they'll drive down right away to see me, and I don't really want anyone else here right now," Lorelai said. 

"But you called Sookie and told her what's going on," Rory pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's because Sookie already knows that I'd rather have people come to visit me after the baby's born, not before," Lorelai replied. "I only want you and Luke to be here beforehand, and my parents would completely ignore that request. We'll call them when it's all over."

Rory nodded. "Okay."

Lorelai shifted to get more comfortable. "It kinda stinks that only one person can come in the delivery room with me."

"That's okay," Rory said with a shrug. "The actual birth's not really something I need to see up close anyway. That video we saw in the childbirth class was enough for me." She shuddered and made a face. "Yuck."

Lorelai wagged a finger at her. "Hey, someday that _yuck_ will be you giving birth to my grandchild, so. . . ooh. . . " She took a few deep breaths as she felt the next contraction starting. "Agh. . ." She clutched her stomach with one hand and reached toward Luke with the other. "Luke. . .hand. . ." He held out his hand toward her and she grasped onto it tightly for the duration of the contraction.

* * *

"Okay, Lorelai, give us another big push," Doctor Palmer told her.

Almost two hours had passed. Lorelai had been wheeled to the delivery room just minutes earlier. She was fully dilated, contractions were coming almost every minute, and she was more than ready to get the baby out of her. 

She was surrounded by the doctor, several nurses, and Luke, who was standing supportively by her side in green hospital scrubs. He was clutching her hand tightly, his heart racing with excitement that this moment was finally here. 

Lorelai groaned loudly as she began pushing. "Ow. . .ow. . .ow. . ." When she ran out of energy, she threw her head back and panted heavily to catch her breath. "Mmkay, I think the epidural is starting to wear off and I'm not really a big fan of the pain. . ."

"It's okay, we're almost there," the doctor assured her. "Just a few more minutes."

"I'm pretty sure that a few more minutes of this pain is going to kill me, and then my baby will be motherless," Lorelai muttered, her eyes clenched tightly. "Is that what you people want?"

Luke rubbed her arm comfortingly. "Hon, you're doing so amazing." He leaned down to kiss her forehead, which was covered in perspiration. "I love you. Hang in there. . .it's almost over. Everything's gonna be fine."

Lorelai opened her eyes and stared up at Luke with a half-smile. "God, you're much better at that now than you were in the class." He smiled and kissed her lips gently, but she broke away with a yelp. "Ow. . .it hurts. . .get it out of me. . ." The doctor advised her to push again, and she let out a loud groan as she complied. 

Luke dabbed the sweat off her face with a towel. Her eyes were filled with tears and she was using her breathing techniques to control the pain in between the pushes. Lorelai glanced down at the medical staff peering between her legs at the foot of the bed. "How's it going down there?"

"Very good, keep it up, Lorelai," Doctor Palmer said. "We're ready for another big push." 

Lorelai waited until she'd caught her breath, then pushed with all her might. She groaned loudly and her face reddened from the intense straining. 

"The head is out," Doctor Palmer announced.

"Ooh!" Lorelai gasped through her panting. "Our baby has a head, Luke."

Luke nodded, then leaned forward to see it for himself. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the top of the baby's head sticking out. He swallowed hard, trying to control his emotions. "Wow. It's. . .got hair. . ."

"Lorelai, one more big push should do it," the doctor said encouragingly. "Anytime you're ready. . ."

Lorelai took a few quick breaths, then grunted loudly as she gave what would be her final push. The baby slid halfway out of her, and the doctor pulled it out the rest of the way. 

"Congratulations, it's a boy," Doctor Palmer announced. The baby's nose and mouth were immediately suctioned to clean his airways, and soon a loud wail echoed throughout the room. 

His first cry sent chills through both of his parents, and an exhausted Lorelai smiled up at Luke through her tears of joy. "It's a boy." She brought Luke's hand to her lips and kissed it, then held it against her cheek. "We have a boy."

Luke swallowed hard and tears welled up in his eyes. "We have a son. . ." He leaned down and kissed her. "God, you were so incredible. That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

The doctor instructed Luke on how to cut the umbilical cord, and after he did, a nurse wrapped the baby up in a blanket. His cries died down once his tiny body was warm again, and a nurse placed the bundle gently on Lorelai's chest. "Here you go, Mom. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Lorelai choked out. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared down at her tiny boy. "Oh my God, you're so beautiful," she whispered as she gently kissed the baby's forehead. His eyes were closed, his face calm and content as he lay against his mother's chest. 

Luke blinked away the moisture from his eyes as he rested a hand on the baby's back. "He's perfect."

"Well, perfection does run in the family." Lorelai sniffled and ran a finger over the baby's chin. "You're lucky you're so cute or I might've had to hold a grudge against you for the pain you just put me through."

"Don't lie to him," Luke said. "You'll be holding that grudge anyway 'til he's thirty."

The nurse was waiting to take the baby to be cleaned up and checked over. "Does the dad want to hold him before I take him away for a few minutes?"  


Luke nodded and stared hesitantly down at the baby. He reached forward and lifted it as gently as possible from Lorelai's chest, then cradled it in his arms. He shook his head in disbelief that he was actually holding his son "Oh my God. . ."

Lorelai smiled and patted Luke's arm. "Feels amazing, doesn't it?"

Luke nodded. "He's so light. . .so tiny. . ."

"And he even looks like a Joshua," Lorelai added. "Don't you think?"

Luke nodded as he whispered, "Hey, Joshua William. . .I'm your dad." He stared down at the baby in awe, unable to take his eyes away from him.

After half a minute, Doctor Palmer said, "Okay, we're gonna take him away for a few minutes to clean him up and check him over. Lorelai, we're gonna get you to push a few more times to deliver the placenta and then we'll get you cleaned up." Luke handed the baby over to a nurse, and he and Lorelai watched her walk to the other side of the room with their son. 

After the last phase of the labor was completed, Luke and Lorelai smiled at each other, and he leaned down to hug her. "God, I love you."

She was crying against his chest. "Love you, too."

"You were so great," he told her. "I mean it. . .that was so. . .wow."

"Trust me, I couldn't have done it without the moral support. You were pretty great yourself." She pulled back with a smile. "I'm impressed you didn't faint, especially when you saw the head sticking out. That must've been quite a sight."

Luke nodded. "It was definitely not an image I'm gonna forget any time soon." 

Lorelai pulled him down for a kiss, then smiled through it. "We have a son, Luke."

Luke smiled proudly. "We have a son." He clutched onto her hand tightly and the two of them stared across the room, waiting patiently for the nurses to bring the baby back over to them. 

* * *

To be continued. . . 

Okay, that was obviously the biggest chapter of the whole entire story, so I really hope it came out all right. It took days of proofreading and editing to get it just how I wanted it. And I must say that after spending hours online doing research for it, I now know more about giving birth than any one person really needs to know. 

Please let me know what you're thinking, I'm desperately craving some feedback. Thanks to those who've been reviewing, I really appreciate it. :)


	23. Part 23

"It's Still There – part 23"

* * *

Luke walked out of the delivery room and down the long hospital hallway toward the waiting room. When Rory saw him approaching, she jumped up out of her seat and rushed over to him. "Well?"

Luke smiled. "It's a boy."

Rory gasped, then let out an excited squeal. "Oh my God, it's a boy!" She threw her arms around Luke's neck and they hugged. "Congratulations!" 

"Thanks." 

Rory pulled back with a grin. "Oh my God, this is so exciting. How's Mom? How was the birth? How's the baby?"

"Your mom's doing great," Luke assured her. "She's exhausted, obviously, but the birth was fine. She was so amazing. The baby's fine, they're looking him over right now."

"Are you guys sticking with the Joshua-for-a-boy's-name game plan, or was there a last-minute change of heart?" 

"No, it's Joshua." Luke smiled and shook his head slightly toward the ground. "He's so small. And cute. God, Rory, you won't believe how cute he is. And I'm not just saying that 'cause he's my kid, he really is a good-looking boy. Even with the, you know, gross mucous-y stuff that was on his body when he came out."

Rory smiled at his excitement. "I can't wait to see him and Mom. Can I go in there?"

"Not yet, but soon," Luke replied. "They're cleaning everything up right now and then you can see 'em. They need to stay in that room for a couple of hours, and then they'll be moved into one of the recovery rooms."

"Should I call Sookie and my grandparents?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, your mom wanted me to ask you to do that, but she doesn't want visitors right away, so try to stress the fact that she really needs to rest first. If you have to, tell 'em that's what the hospital suggests."

Rory nodded. "Okay."

He gestured behind him toward the hallway to the delivery room. "I'm gonna head back in there. I'll come out and get you in a few minutes."

"Okay." Rory gave him another congratulatory hug before walking off to make the phone calls, and Luke headed back to the delivery room.

The bed had been cleaned up and Lorelai was now wearing a clean hospital gown. The baby was crying loudly with some nurses on the other side of the room. Luke walked over to the bed and Lorelai smiled up at him. "Did you tell her?"

Luke nodded, then gestured toward the baby. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's hungry," Lorelai replied. "One of the nurses is getting him a bottle." 

The nurse wrapped Joshua up in a blanket and brought him over to Lorelai, and a few moments later, another nurse handed her a small bottle. Lorelai placed the tip gently on the baby's lips, and his cries disappeared as he instinctively began sucking. 

Lorelai smiled down at him. "That's all you wanted, wasn't it? I hear ya, kid. Mommy's so hungry she's about to start crying, too." She kissed him on the forehead and watched him eat. 

The doctor walked over and talked with them for a few minutes, then she and the nurses left the room. 

When he was finished eating, Lorelai brought Joshua up to her shoulder to burp him, and she asked Luke, "Can you go get Rory now?"

"Sure." Luke glanced down at the green hospital scrubs he was wearing. "I can take these off, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "I think they were just for the delivery." Luke pulled the scrubs off and smoothed out his clothes before leaving the room. 

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Lorelai said, "Come in." 

The door opened and Rory walked into the room, and her face lit up when she saw Lorelai. "Mom!"

Lorelai grinned. "Hey, you. Get over here." She lowered the baby from her shoulder and cradled it in her arms. "Meet your brother."

Rory walked over to the bed and let out a soft gasp. "Oh my God. . .he's so cute."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I know. I'm two for two in my attempts to produce attractive offspring."

"Yes, you are." Rory leaned forward and hugged Lorelai gently, careful not to press up against the baby. "Congratulations, Mom."

"Thanks, sweetie." Lorelai kissed her on the cheek. "Aw, look at me with my two babies. This is such a Kodak moment and there's no one to take a picture. Where's Luke?"

Rory pulled back from the hug and shrugged. "I don't know where he went, but he said he'd be right back." She stared down at Joshua in awe as she ran her finger over his tiny arm. "God, it's so weird to think that just fifteen minutes ago he was inside of you and now he's right here in front of me."

"Do you wanna hold him?" Lorelai asked.

Rory hesitated a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yeah." 

Lorelai gently passed the baby to Rory, who cuddled it nervously against her chest. "It might be more comfortable if you sit down," Lorelai suggested. She pointed to the rocking chair a few feet away, and Rory slowly walked over and sat down in it.   


"Ah, much better." Rory stared down at him for a moment, then brought her gaze to Lorelai. "So how are you? The birth and everything was good?" 

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, everything was perfect. A couple of pushes and he was outta there. I think he wanted to get out just as much as I wanted him out." Lorelai shifted in the bed to get more comfortable, and she sighed as she leaned back against her pillows. 

"Are you okay?" Rory asked.

"Well, honey, I would like to share with you a little something I've learned – some words of wisdom from a mother to her daughter."

"Go ahead."

"Wait, you should really write this down," Lorelai said. "Do you have a pen and paper?"

"No, but I'll remember it," Rory assured her.

"Okay, well, here's what I've learned. . . when you force something the size of half a watermelon through a hole the size of your fist, there's a little something called _residual pain_." Lorelai frowned and shook her head. "And as you might imagine from the use of the word _pain_, it doesn't feel good."

Rory frowned sympathetically. "Aw, I'm sorry." She shuddered and made a face. "But let's move on now, 'cause thinking about the image is kind of wigging me out." 

"Sorry. I just felt it was important to pass on my knowledge."

"I appreciate that." Rory glanced down at Joshua. "You know, you're a pretty lucky kid. You just happen to have the greatest mom in the whole entire world. I can attest from personal experience that she's a great child-raiser."

"Yeah, well, considering the fact that I know nothing about little boys, let's not get his hopes up about my abilities," Lorelai interjected. "You may be setting him up for some major disappointment."

"And your father," Rory continued to the baby, "happens to be one of the nicest men in all of Connecticut, and even though he doesn't have much experience with babies, I know he's gonna be great with you."

"I'll drink to that," Lorelai said. "Run out and get me some alcohol, would ya?"

Rory smiled. "I would, but I don't have my fake ID with me."

Lorelai sighed. "How many times have I told you to keep it with you at all times? Have you learned nothing from me?" She reached for her cup of water on the table next to her and took a long sip. 

They sat quietly for a few minutes until the baby whimpered and Rory's eyes widened. "Oh no. . .what do I do?" Within seconds, the baby began crying, and Rory worriedly repeated, "Mom, hurry, what do I do?"

Lorelai beckoned her over. "It's okay, just bring him here."

Rory brought the baby over to Lorelai, who gently took him from her and cradled him to her chest. "Shh, it's okay, honey," she whispered. "Mommy's here, you're okay." She rocked him gently in her arms until his cries quieted down.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Luke walked in. "I'm back." He was carrying a bag in one hand, and in the other, an arrangement of flowers in a small white basket. He set the flowers on the bedside table. "Picked these up at the gift shop for you."

Lorelai smiled. "Ah, so I've finally figured out what I have to do to get my husband to bring me flowers – give birth. I'll make a note for future reference." She tugged on his shirt and pulled him down to kiss him. "Thank you, I love 'em." She gestured to the bag. "What's in there?"

"Well, you said you were hungry. . ." He reached into the bag and pulled out a white Styrofoam cup with a lid. "So I got you some chicken soup from the cafeteria." He set it on the table.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Ooh, thank God, I'm starving. I was five minutes away from drinking Josh's formula."

He set the bag next to her on the bed. "There's also crackers, chips, candy bars, and apple juice. That should last you awhile."

"Mm, great selection," Lorelai commented. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He turned to Rory and smiled. "So. . .did you get to hold him?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, for a few minutes until he started crying."

"Then she freaked out and got rid of him as fast as humanly possible," Lorelai added. "I'm thinking we shouldn't let her babysit alone."

"Hey, I've never been around kids," Rory reminded her. "They take getting used to."

"Here, let me take him so you can eat," Luke offered. He took the baby from Lorelai and sat down with him. 

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I called Sookie and Grandma," Rory said. "I told them not to come visit before 5:30. I figured that would give you plenty of time to rest."

"Yeah, that's a good time," Lorelai agreed. "Thanks."

"They both told me to tell you congratulations," Rory said. "Sookie squealed into my ear so loud that she partially deafened me, and Grandma was excited, too, but thankfully refrained from squealing, so I still have one good ear."

"Well, that's good." 

"Grandma has to wait for Grandpa to get home from work, so she said they probably wouldn't be here 'til around seven."

A few minutes later, a nurse came in to check on them. "How are we doing in here?" 

Lorelai set her cup of soup on the table and picked up the empty baby bottle. "Very good. He finished his bottle."

"Oh, good, I'll get that out of your way, then." The nurse took the bottle from her. "Have you gotten out of bed yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Okay, just make sure that you don't try to do it alone," the nurse warned her. "You're probably going to feel lightheaded and dizzy, so if no one's in here to help you, make sure you call for a nurse before you attempt to stand up."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, I will."

The nurse walked over to check on the baby. "Everything's looking good with him. Any troubles or questions?"

"Nope, everything's good so far," Lorelai replied. 

"Okay. You should try to get some rest when you're done eating," the nurse advised her. "If you'd like us to move the baby to the nursery while you sleep, just call the nurses' station and someone will come get him."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, thank you." The nurse left the room, and Lorelai returned to eating her soup.

Luke stared down at the baby in his arms and muttered, "I can't believe there was a time when I thought I didn't want kids. How could anyone not want this?"

Lorelai and Rory smiled at each other, and Lorelai teased, "I think this newfound fatherhood is making someone a softy." 

"I think so, too," Rory agreed.

Luke ignored them and lightly stroked the baby's chin with his finger. "I'm not gonna lie to you, kid. . . these girls can be tough to live with sometimes. You and me gotta stick together."

* * *

A few hours later, Lorelai was moved from the delivery room to a recovery room. As Luke helped Lorelai from her wheelchair to the bed, a nurse rolled the bassinet containing a sleeping Joshua right next to her. 

Once they were settled and the nurse had left, Lorelai eyed the bassinet for a minute. "You know, I think I'm gonna take a shower while he's asleep. You guys are gonna be here in case he wakes up, right?" 

"Yeah, we're not going anywhere," Luke replied. "Go ahead, take as long as you want."

Rory eyed her with concern. "But you're still a little wobbly when you walk. . .how are you going to be able to stand in the shower?"

"I won't have to," Lorelai said. "There's a special shower chair in there."

"Wow, convenient."

"Yeah, I think we should get one for home," Lorelai said. "You know, for those lazy mornings when you need to take a quick shower but you're just too tired to stand."

"Because going out and buying a special chair made for the shower is much more convenient than just sitting down in the tub," Luke dryly remarked.

"Yes, it is," Lorelai agreed. "And the chair's padded, so it's much more comfortable than a porcelain tub. I think it'll make a nice addition to our bathroom. What do you think?" 

"I think you should go take your shower before you have visitors," Luke replied. 

Lorelai frowned. "Fine. Help me." 

Luke helped her out of the bed and walked her to the bathroom. He turned the water on, and when it was a comfortable temperature, helped her into the shower and onto the chair. 

"God, this feels good," she moaned as the warm water cascaded over her. She slicked her hair back and leaned her face out of the falling water. "Can you bring my overnight bag in here? It has all my bathroom stuff in it." 

Luke retrieved it for her and handed her the toiletries she needed. "I'll be right out there in the room if you need me. Don't try to get out of the shower by yourself," Luke warned her. "Call me for help."

"Yes, sir," she playfully saluted him before pulling the shower curtain closed.

* * *

A few minutes after she'd gotten out of her shower, a nurse brought in a tray of food for dinner. After watching Lorelai take a few bites of the roast beef and mashed potatoes, Luke asked, "How is it?"

"I've had worse," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Here, try some." She fed him a forkful of food and he made a face. "Apparently, you haven't."

Luke shook his head as he forced the food down. "Ugh. You know, one time at John's house, he was grilling steaks on the barbecue outside and as he was moving one of the steaks from the grill to a plate, he dropped it on the ground and it got covered in dirt and grass and all that fun stuff."

"Gross. What's your point?" Lorelai asked.

"My point is that I think if I had taken a bite of that dirt-covered steak, it would've tasted extremely similar to this." He pointed to her plate.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Tsk, it's not that bad. Rory, try it and tell me what you think."

Rory held up her hands innocently. "No, thank you. I'm not taking sides in the meat debate."

"What are you guys gonna eat for dinner?" Lorelai asked. "You gonna get something from the cafeteria?"

"Actually, while you were in the shower, we ordered pizza," Rory told her. "I have to go down to the lobby in a few minutes and wait for the delivery."

Lorelai gasped. "Why are you letting me eat this crappy roast beef when you ordered yummy stuff?"

"You seem to be enjoying it," Rory pointed out.

"Well, I'm not. I was forcing it down because I'm starving again and it's right here in front of me. Forget this, I'm waiting for pizza." Lorelai dropped her fork onto her tray and brushed off her hands. "Are you sure you're allowed to bring outside food in here?"

"We asked the nurses," Luke replied. "We're allowed as long as we dispose of the garbage ourselves and don't clog up the trash cans in the room."

"And when Pete heard why we wanted it delivered to the hospital, he said it was on the house," Rory added.

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, really? That's so nice."

Rory glanced at the clock, then stood up. "I should probably go down and wait for it now. They might come early." 

Luke stood up and pulled out his wallet. "Here, the meal's free, but you should still tip 'em." He handed her some money, then Rory left the room.

Lorelai patted the edge of the bed, and Luke walked over and sat next to her. She took his hand into hers. "Hi."

"Hi." He kissed her. "How ya feeling?"

"Not too bad, actually," Lorelai replied. "A little tired, a little sore, but nothing Lorelai I-am-woman-hear-me-roar Danes can't handle."

"Good."

"I'm thinking of having my middle name officially changed to that, by the way. What do you think?"

"I think it has a good flow."

"And if you don't have a good-flowing name, you got nothin'."

"That's what I always say," Luke agreed with a nod.

Lorelai smiled and hugged him. "You're so cute when you humor me."

"As opposed to. . ."

Lorelai kissed his cheek. "Sorry, you're cute all the time."

"Thank you." 

"You're welcome." Lorelai glanced past him at the bassinet and smiled when she saw that Joshua's eyes were open. "And speaking of someone who's cute all the time. . .look who's awake."

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory stepped off the elevator on the first floor and walked down to the lobby where she found Sookie and Jackson sitting in the waiting area by the door. 

Sookie jumped up when she saw her. "Rory, hi!" She rushed over and hugged her tightly. "Congratulations on becoming a big sister!"

"Thanks, Sookie," Rory replied. "Hey Jackson."

"Hey Rory," he replied as he hugged her.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Rory asked.

"Well, we got here a few minutes ago and we got our visitor's passes, but you told us not to come up until 5:30, so we're sitting here staring at the clock." Sookie gestured to the large clock on the wall. "Seven minutes to go."

Rory smiled. "I'm sure Mom won't mind if you guys come up a little early."

"No, we were given a time to come, and we're going to respect that," Sookie replied. "We'll wait."

Rory shrugged. "Okay, suit yourself. Did you tell anyone else about the baby?"

Sookie winced and nervously bit on her fingernail. "Oops, was I not supposed to?"

"No, it's okay. Who'd you tell?"

"Well, just a couple people, but two of them were Patty and Babette. . ."

"So basically the whole town knows by now," Rory deduced.

"Yeah, pretty much," Sookie said. "And I read in one of the baby magazines that having too many visitors on the first day can be a little too much for both the mom and the baby, so I told everyone that it might be better to visit after they bring him home."

Rory nodded. "That was a good idea. I'm sure Mom'll appreciate that."

Sookie giggled excitedly. "Oh, I can't wait to go up and see them." She glanced at the clock. "Five more minutes."

On a chair behind Sookie, Rory noticed a gift bag with an "It's a Boy!" balloon attached to it. "Is that yours?"

Sookie turned around to look. "Oh, yeah. We picked up a couple of things before we came. You know, a couple of boy outfits, some little toys. And this afternoon I made some homemade sugar cookies in all these great baby shapes – bottles, pacifiers, baby booties, bassinets."

"Mm, I can't wait to try 'em," Rory said.

"What are you doing down here?" Jackson asked. "Are you leaving?"

"Nope, just waiting for dinner." Rory glanced out the window and saw the pizza delivery van pull up out front. "Oh, and there it is. Hold on, be right back." She walked outside to get the delivery, and returned a minute later carrying two pizza boxes. 

Sookie giggled. "I can't believe you guys got pizza delivered to the hospital. No, actually, I can – that's such a Lorelai thing to do."

Rory smiled. "Believe it or not, it was Luke's idea. I think she's rubbing off on him." She glanced up at the clock. "Only one more minute to go. Ready to start heading up there?"

Sookie nodded. Jackson grabbed the gift bag, and the three of them headed upstairs.

* * *

Lorelai was standing over the bassinet changing the baby's diaper when the door opened and Rory walked in. "I'm back, and look who I found in the lobby. . ." Sookie and Jackson walked in behind her. 

Lorelai smiled. "Hey, guys."

"Hey," Luke greeted them.

After all the congratulatory hugs and handshakes were out of the way, Lorelai gestured to the bassinet. "There he is. . .Joshua William."

Sookie gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God, look at him. He's so cute." She gently rubbed the baby's arm. "Aw, hello, little Joshua. . .I'm your Aunt Sookie, this is your Uncle Jackson." She giggled and hugged Lorelai again. "I can't believe you have a son."

"I know! And my son and your son will grow up together and be best friends and get into all kinds of trouble together!"

Sookie squealed. "Oh my God, that's so exciting!"

Lorelai inhaled deeply. "No, what's exciting is that pizza smell." 

Rory was already eating a slice. "You better get some fast before I eat it all."

Lorelai walked over to the box and pulled out a slice. "Sookie, Jackson, you guys want pizza? There's plenty." 

"No, thanks," Sookie replied. "What I want is to hold this cute little baby. Can I pick him up?"

"Absolutely. Go for it."

* * *

Half an hour later, Sookie and Jackson had left, and after some convincing from Lorelai that she shouldn't waste the whole day being cooped up in a hospital room, Rory had left to go over to Lane's house.

Luke was sitting in the rocking chair feeding the baby while Lorelai watched him from the bed. After a few minutes, she reached for the camera on the bedside table and took a picture of them. "You look so natural doing that," she commented. 

"Feels pretty natural," he admitted.

"Must be that parental instinct kicking in. Or else you have a secret wife on the side with whom you've been secretly raising kids with for years and all that stuff about being scared to be a father was just a big lie to throw me off the track."

"Yep, you got me." Luke stared down at Joshua as he contentedly sucked on his bottle. "I don't wanna get you too scared or anything, kid, but tomorrow you're gonna be in some pain. Don't worry, it won't last too long, I promise."

Lorelai smiled. "Are you mentally preparing him for the circumcision?" 

"I feel it's my duty as the father, seeing as how I went through it myself and can relate."

Lorelai smirked. "You can relate? Because you have strong thirty-eight and a half year old memories of your own circumcision?"

"Yes. Now, shh. . .I'm bonding with my son."

* * *

It was almost seven o'clock when there was a knock at the door. Lorelai, who was alone in the room with Joshua, called, "Come in."

The door slowly opened, and Emily and Richard stepped into the room. "Rumor has it we have a grandson in here," Emily said with a smile.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," Lorelai greeted them. "Come in."

They walked further into the room. "We just saw Luke in the hallway," Richard said. "Uh, he said he's making an ice cream run. Is that right?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, I mentioned I felt like some, and he likes to cater to my every whim, so off he goes." 

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked. "Rory said on the phone that the birth went well?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup, I'm fine, Joshua's fine. Everything was perfect." 

"Speaking of Rory, is she here?" Richard asked. 

"No, she left a little while ago," Lorelai replied. "She'd been here all day long and she looked a little bored, so I told her to take the rest of the day off from hospital duty." She saw them eyeing the baby cradled in her arms. "So. . .do you guys wanna see him up close or is the view from over there good enough for ya?"

They walked over to the bed, and Emily gasped softly. "My goodness, he's beautiful. Richard, have you ever seen a more beautiful baby boy?"

"Never," he replied. "He's a hundred times cuter than Tellman McCabe's new grandson. That boy could scare the hair off a cat." He chuckled. "In fact, I think it once did."

"Oh, Richard, stop it," Emily scolded him. "That's not nice."

"Well, it's true."

"I know it is, but it's still not nice to say," Emily said. She smiled sweetly down at the baby. "Oh, he's just precious, Lorelai. Congratulations."

"Yes, congratulations," Richard echoed.

"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. Uh, do you guys wanna hold him?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Emily set her purse on the floor, then gently took the baby from Lorelai. She walked over to the rocking chair and sat down with him. "Ooh, he's looking up at me."

"Talk to him," Lorelai suggested. "He likes that."

"All right." Emily stared down at Joshua, but didn't say anything.

There was a long moment of silence, and Lorelai asked, "Uh, are you talking to him in your head? 'Cause we haven't taught him telepathy yet. That's next on our list after rolling-over, crawling, walking, talking and potty-training."

"I'm just not sure what to say," Emily said.

Lorelai shrugged. "Say anything. He doesn't know what you're talking about anyway."

"Okay." Emily cleared her throat. "Joshua. . ." There was another long moment of silence.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Okay, forget talking to him. Just smile at him instead." She reached for the camera. "Here, let me capture this first grandmother/grandson moment." She snapped a picture, then set the camera back on the night table.

"Richard, why don't you go get the gifts from the hallway?" Emily suggested. 

"Oh, that's right, I almost forgot." He started walking toward the door.

"Oh, you guys really didn't have to bring any gifts," Lorelai insisted.

"Nonsense," Emily said. "When a baby is born, you bring it a gift. That's how it works. That's how it's always worked."

Lorelai raised her hands innocently. "Who am I to argue with tradition?"

Richard returned with several Nordstrom boxes tied together with blue ribbon. "Here you are." He set them on the bed.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Wow, this is way too much stuff."

"Oh, just open them," Emily encouraged her.

Lorelai began opening the boxes to find several baby outfits. Just as she finished with the last box, Luke returned with Lorelai's ice cream. 

"Oh my God, Luke, look at all the cute clothes my parents got the baby," Lorelai said. She opened one of the boxes and pulled out a shirt. "Did you know that Ralph Lauren makes Polo shirts for infants?"

Luke smirked and shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"Nor did I until today, but I saw it and just had to buy it," Emily said. "Isn't it just adorable?"

"Yeah, it's cute," Luke agreed.

"And it'll come in handy for his golf game at the club next week," Lorelai added. She showed Luke the rest of the clothes.

"You guys really didn't have to get him all this stuff," Luke said. "That was really nice, thanks."

"Oh, it was our pleasure," Emily said. "I never get to shop for little boys, so it was fun picking things out." 

"Speaking of little boys, how's he doing over there?" Lorelai asked as she started eating her ice cream. 

"He's sleeping," Emily replied. "Richard, do you want to hold him?"

"Yes, of course." He walked over to Emily, who stood up and handed the baby off to him. "My goodness, he's so light." 

"Seven pounds, six ounces," Lorelai said. 

Richard sat in the rocking chair, and Emily sat down in the chair next to him. "So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Emily asked. She glanced around at the clutter in the room. "I'm hoping that cleaning up is on it."

"Well, let's see. . .in the morning he's getting snipped," Lorelai said, making a scissoring motion with her fingers. "Then later he's getting his official hospital portrait taken, which will probably be a picture of him crying because of the residual pain he's experiencing from getting snipped. Then in the afternoon we go home."

"Can't you rearrange the schedule so he has his picture taken first?" Emily asked. 

Lorelai shrugged. "That's the schedule they gave me. I'm not sure it's negotiable."

"Everything in life is negotiable," Richard stated. "You should really check into it."

"Will do, Dad," Lorelai replied. "Oh, wait." She reached for the camera and took a picture of Richard holding Joshua. "There we go – the first grandfather/grandson moment is now documented, too." She set the camera down and resumed eating her ice cream.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Emily and Richard had left, and Joshua was sleeping peacefully in the bassinet. Luke had just carried the baby gifts down to the car to take home, and was now getting ready to leave for the night.

"You're sure you don't want me to stay?" Luke asked. "I can sleep on the chair. It reclines into a bed just for this situation."

"No, I'll be fine," Lorelai replied. "Besides, it's the last full night of sleep you're gonna get in that house for a very long time, you might as well enjoy it."

"Good point." He stepped over to the bassinet. "When's the nurse gonna take him to the nursery?"

"She said she'd be in in a few minutes." 

Luke gently rubbed Joshua's back and whispered, "I love you, kid. I'll see you tomorrow." Lorelai smiled, and Luke walked over to hug her. "Love you."

"Love you, too." She kissed him. "Thank you for being my slave all day."

"No problem. I'll be back bright and early to do it again tomorrow."

"And every day after for as long as we both shall live?"

"Yup."

Lorelai smiled. "Now I _really_ love you." She kissed him again. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye." He hugged her again before leaving the room. 

* * *

The next afternoon, Joshua sat crying in his infant car seat on the floor while Lorelai, Luke, and Rory checked over the hospital room making sure they'd packed up everything. 

"Wow, he really doesn't like that thing." Rory kneeled in front of the car seat. "It's okay, Josh. You won't be in it for too long. We're just going home, it's only a five minute ride." His cries got louder, and Rory stood up with a frown. "Okay, apparently he doesn't believe me."

"He's a very untrusting baby," Lorelai said. She glanced around the room. "I think we got everything." She sat down in the wheelchair the nurses had brought in for her. 

"Okay, explain the wheelchair to me again," Rory said.

Lorelai shrugged. "Hospital policy. New mothers are wheeled out to their cars in a wheelchair by a nurse." She pointed to her overnight bag on the bed. "Can you grab that?" 

Rory complied as Luke walked out of the bathroom. "Nothing's left in there. Ready to go?" 

"Yeah, as soon as the nurse comes back in." Lorelai frowned at Joshua, who was still crying. "Aw, my poor baby's so sad."

Luke grabbed the handle of the carseat and lifted it up from the ground. He rocked it gently back and forth. "Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, Josh. We're going home."

The nurse walked in with some check-out papers for them to sign, and then they headed down to the parking lot.

* * *

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of their house. The baby had been quiet during the car ride, but as soon as the car stopped, his cries started up again.

"Okay, I think we might have to move into a Winnebago," Lorelai commented. "He likes to keep moving." As she climbed out of the truck, she saw several baskets of flowers lined up by the front door of the house. "Aw, who are those from?"

"I don't know," Rory replied. "They weren't here when we left this morning."

Luke unbuckled Joshua's carseat from the backseat and removed it from the truck. They walked up to the front door, and before going inside, Rory kneeled down to check the cards on the flowers. "One's from Patty, one's from the inn, one's from the Kim's, and one's from Doose's Market." 

Luke pushed open the front door and they walked inside. Lorelai and Rory followed him into the living room and Lorelai sat on the couch with a sigh. "God, I'm so tired."

"I'll go make some coffee," Rory offered. She walked to the kitchen.

Luke set the carseat on the floor and unbuckled Joshua. He picked him up and cradled him against his chest, gently rocking back and forth until he stopped crying. "See, you're okay. . .there's nothing to cry about," Luke said softly. 

Luke sat down on the couch next to Lorelai, who leaned over and kissed Joshua's forehead. "Welcome home, little boy," she whispered. "I think you're gonna like it here."

* * *

To be continued. . .

I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Now that the story is more or less in its home stretch, I needed some time to really think about how I wanted the rest of the story to go. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured it out completely, so the next chapter might take a little longer than usual as well. I apologize ahead of time. Thanks so much for all the feedback on the last chapter. I'm glad it came out okay. :)


	24. Part 24

"It's Still There – part 24"

* * *

His first afternoon at home was a busy one for Joshua. He was passed around to almost a dozen people in just a few hours, as everyone who stopped by wanted a chance to hold him. 

It was just before seven when the constant stream of visitors finally ended. Rory had left to go pick up takeout for dinner, and Lorelai was holding a crying Joshua on the couch while Luke went to make him a bottle. 

After a few minutes, Lorelai called, "You remember how to make it, right? The directions are on the canister of formula."

"I know, I'm fine," Luke replied from the kitchen.

"Well, could you go a little faster, please," she called back. "His screams are getting pretty loud."

"You think I can't hear him? I'm not deaf, you know."

"Well, you can't appreciate how loud it is, you're too far away." Lorelai walked to the kitchen with the crying baby. "There, if that's not enough encouragement for you to go faster, I don't know what is." She pouted toward the baby. "Say 'Daddy, I'm starving, hurry up with my food.'" She looked up as Luke was screwing the cap on the bottle. "Did you warm it up?"

"Yes." 

"Shake it up and test it on your wrist," Lorelai told him. "Make sure it's not too hot."

"I made him a bottle earlier, I know how to do it," Luke reminded her.

"Okay, sorry, I wasn't sure if you remembered." 

He shook the bottle, then dripped some of the formula onto his wrist to test the temperature. "It's fine." He handed the bottle to her. "Here."

"Thanks." She placed it in Joshua's mouth, and he immediately began sucking on it hungrily. "There you go. You're okay, honey." She stared down at him for a moment before bringing her gaze to Luke. "I think he's gonna fall asleep after this. He looks pretty tired."

Luke lightly rubbed Joshua's leg. "Well, he's had a busy day."

Lorelai started walking toward the living room, and Luke followed behind her. "Yeah, it must've been exhausting having all those people hold him and tend to his every need."

"I would think so," Luke agreed. 

Lorelai yawned. "I'm going to bed right after dinner. I wanna try to get some sleep before he gets up in a few hours to eat again. Unless we lucked out and got one of those kids who already sleeps straight through the night. Cross your fingers."

* * *

Joshua woke up crying just after ten that night, and Lorelai groggily climbed out of bed to go get him. When she walked into the nursery, she saw that Luke was already in there retrieving him from his crib. "I tried to get him before he woke you up," Luke said apologetically. 

Lorelai yawned and rubbed her eyes. "That's okay. Were you asleep?" 

"No, I was downstairs watching the baseball game." He brought the baby over to the changing table and lay him on it. "Go back to sleep, I can handle it."

"Well, I'm up now, so I can help," Lorelai said. "One of us can change him, one of us can make the bottle." She watched Luke pull a diaper from the shelf. "Are _you_ gonna change him?"

"Yup."

Lorelai smiled and walked over to the changing table. "This I have to see."

Luke rolled his eyes. "It's not that entertaining that it requires an audience. Go down and make the bottle."

"Come on, Luke. This is the first time you're changing your son. I wanna see it."

Luke scoffed. "What are you talking about? I changed him at the hospital."

"Um, no, each time you unbuttoned his outfit, then handed me the diaper," Lorelai reminded him. "So technically, I'm the one who did all the actual changing."

Luke sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "Look, we could stand here discussing this all night while he lies there crying in a wet diaper, or you could actually be quiet and let me change him. Your choice."

Lorelai gestured to Joshua. "Go ahead."

"Thank you."

"I'll be here if you need me."

"I can handle it," Luke muttered as he began unbuttoning Joshua's outfit. He gently pulled his tiny arms and legs out of the holes, then removed the wet diaper. He folded it up and placed it in the trash can, then wiped him with a baby wipe. "There, all clean." He stared down at the small black umbilical cord stump on Joshua's belly button, then glanced at Lorelai. "That thing's gonna fall off soon, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "In a week or two."

"Good. It looks gross." Luke lifted Joshua's legs up and slid the clean diaper under him. "All right, here we go. We pull this side up and stick it on like that," he muttered to himself as he secured one side of the diaper. "And then we do the other side and stick it on like this. And there. . .all done." He stepped back and glanced at Lorelai with a small smirk of pride. "Pretty good, huh?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded approvingly. "Perfect." She patted him on the back. "Good job, hon."

"Thanks." He began putting Joshua's outfit back on him.

"I'll go make the bottle," Lorelai said. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Luke finished dressing the baby, then sat down in the rocking chair with him. 

Lorelai returned a few minutes later and handed him the bottle. "Here you go." 

"Thanks." As he fed it to Joshua, he nodded toward the door. "Go back to bed, I'm good here."

Lorelai nibbled on her bottom lip. "You sure you can handle him?"

"What's there to handle?" Luke asked. "I'll feed him, he'll go back to sleep, I'll put him in the crib. It's not brain surgery."

"Actually, you have to burp him after you feed him," Lorelai reminded him.

"Right. I'll burp him, too," Luke added. "Feed, burp, crib. I can handle it."

"And remember to put him on his back or his side in the crib, not his stomach," Lorelai warned. "He's not as safe on his stomach."

"I know, I remember," Luke assured her. "Go back to bed. You need to rest a lot more than I do." 

"Okay, but if you need help with him, come wake me up, okay?"

"It'll be fine," Luke assured her. "Night."

"Night." Lorelai leaned down and kissed him, then ran a finger over Joshua's forehead. "Night, sweetie. Be good for Daddy." She headed to her bedroom and crawled back into bed.

* * *

Every time Joshua woke up that night, Lorelai and Luke would both get up to tend to him. One would make his bottle while the other one changed him, and they alternated who fed him each time. In between the feedings, Lorelai would occasionally get up and wander into the nursery just to check on him, to make sure he was sleeping all right. 

When morning rolled around and the baby woke up crying just before seven, Lorelai muttered to Luke that she would handle it herself, that he could sleep in a little more. He started to argue, but she insisted, and he reluctantly rolled over to go back to sleep. 

She pulled on her robe and walked into the nursery. Joshua was crying loudly, and after lowering the side of the crib, she reached down to pick him up. "How's my little Joshy today?" she asked softly as she lifted him up out of the crib. She kissed his cheek, then brought him up to her shoulder and rubbed his back until his cries died down. "See, there, you're okay. Let's get you changed."

Lorelai changed his diaper and put a fresh outfit on him, then carried him downstairs. She cradled him in one arm while she made his bottle, then brought him to the living room to feed him. 

Luke couldn't get back to sleep, so he took a quick shower before walking down to the living room. Lorelai had finished feeding Joshua and sat holding him on the couch as she watched the morning news.

"Everything okay?" Luke asked.

"No. What is the world coming to when the biggest news headline is that there's officially going to be a _Friends_ spin-off next year?" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "God, are we ever gonna get rid of those people? Enough is enough."

"I meant with the baby," Luke said. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Lorelai replied. "He ate, I burped him, and now he's sitting here listening to me make fun of Matt Lauer's buzzcut."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, good, let's instill the 'it's okay to make fun of people' attitude into him as soon as we can."

Lorelai smiled. "That's the idea."

"Did you eat breakfast?"

"No, not yet."

Luke gestured toward the kitchen. "I'll go make us something, then I'll take him for a while so you can go take a shower or bath or whatever you wanna do. What do you feel like eating?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Whatever you feel like making. Eggs, pancakes, whatever."

"Okay." He started walking toward the kitchen.

"Thank you," she called, then turned her attention back to the television. 

A few minutes later, Rory walked out of her bedroom, and after greeting Luke in the kitchen, walked to the living room. "Morning."

"Hey sweets," Lorelai greeted her.

Rory sat down next to her on the couch and rubbed Joshua's foot. "Hey there, little guy. How was your first night at home?"

"Overall it seemed to go pretty well," Lorelai said. "He got up a couple of times to eat. I hope his crying didn't wake you up."

Rory shook her head. "Nope, I didn't hear him."

"Okay, good." 

Rory glanced at the television. "Wow, Matt Lauer's not really a 'short hair' kind of guy." 

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "I know. Joshua and I were just discussing that, and we both feel that he should let it grow back in so it looks like it used to." She turned off the television. "I can't look at it anymore."

Rory picked up the fabric-covered keepsake baby journal that Babette and Morey had given to Joshua. "Have you written anything in here yet?"

"No, not yet," Lorelai replied. "You can fill out the first page for me if you want. You have much better handwriting than I do."

"Okay." Rory reached for a pen and opened the book to the first page, where it asked for the baby's name and birth date. She filled in the name, then asked Lorelai, "What was Tuesday's date?"

"The twenty-second."

Rory wrote in July 22, 2003 on the birthday line. "Okay. Time of birth, weight and length?"

Lorelai thought for a moment, then declared, "1:18 p.m., seven pounds six ounces, twenty and a half inches long."

Rory filled in the information, then capped the pen. "Okay, first page is done."

"Thanks."

Rory set the book and pen on the coffee table. "Last night before bed, I started making a list of things I'll need to bring with me to school. I broke it down into a bunch of different categories, like general dorm stuff, school supplies, bathroom supplies, stuff like that. That way we can see what we need to buy over the next few weeks."

Lorelai smiled amusedly. "Do you have any idea how much I'm gonna miss that freaky organizational quirk of yours when you're gone?" Her smile turned into a frown. "Aw, I'm getting sad thinking about it."

"Don't worry, you'll be so busy with your new child that you won't even have time to miss your first one," Rory teased. "I'll be thrown out like a piece of parsley."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "A piece of parsley?"

"Yeah, 'cause, you know, sometimes there's a piece of parsley as garnish on a plate, but no one usually eats it, so it gets thrown away," Rory explained. "So I'll be thrown away from the family like that garnishing piece of parsley."

Lorelai let out a laugh. "Wow, first off, your analogies suck at 7:45 in the morning." Her expression grew more serious as she patted Rory on the knee. "And second, you know that's not true."

Rory nodded. "I know, I was just kidding."

"I mean, I start to feel separation anxiety when you go over to Lane's house for a few hours, so I think you going off to college may scar me forever."

"I won't be that far away," Rory reminded her. "We'll talk a lot on the phone and I'll come home to visit all the time. It won't be that bad, I promise."

Lorelai sighed. "Okay, but if it gets to be too much for me to handle, I'm moving into your dorm room with you, and we're getting Luke and Joshua a room on the guys' floor so they can be nearby."

Rory nodded. "It's good that we have a backup plan."

* * * 

A few days later, on Sunday afternoon, Joshua was sleeping in his baby swing in the corner of the living room while Lorelai and Sookie sat at the kitchen table. Sookie was helping Lorelai write thank you notes for the baby gifts she'd received.

Lorelai finished writing out a card and passed it to Sookie. "Miss Patty." Sookie put the card in an envelope and addressed it, then set it in the stack of finished notes. Lorelai checked off Miss Patty's name on her list. "Okay, Jess is next."

"Jess gave you a baby present?" Sookie asked. "That was nice."

"Yeah, he and Jill stopped over on Friday afternoon." Lorelai smiled. "I didn't show you what they gave us? Oh my God, it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. I'll go get it." Lorelai walked to the living room to retrieve the gift bag, giving a quick glance toward Joshua to make sure he was all right. She returned to the kitchen and sat down. "Okay, prepare to break out some major aww's." Lorelai reached into the bag and pulled out a tiny blue baseball cap.

"Aww," Sookie gushed. "Look how cute that is!"

"And that's not even the best part. Look at this." Lorelai pulled out a tiny flannel shirt and infant-sized blue jeans. 

Sookie gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God!"

Lorelai giggled. "I know! Isn't it the cutest thing ever?"

"Absolutely. Aw, he's gonna look like a little Luke. I can't wait to see him wear that."

"Me either. As soon as the cooler weather hits, this is the first thing that's going on him." Lorelai put the stuff back in the bag and set it aside. "You should've seen Luke's face when he saw it. He was trying not to look too excited about it, but you could tell he loved it." 

Sookie smiled. "He's really into this fatherhood stuff, huh?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he is. I never thought it would be like this. I mean, I knew he'd be a great dad, but. . . " Her voice trailed off and she stared into space for a moment, a small smile on her lips. 

"But what?" Sookie prompted her.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know, it's weird. I mean, there was a time when I never would've been able to picture Luke in the same room with a baby, let alone taking care of Joshua the way he does. The way he's always holding him, changing him, feeding him. . ." She shook her head slightly. "It's like he miraculously transformed from Mr. Macho into Mr. Mom overnight." 

"It's good that he's so involved," Sookie commented.

"Yeah, he's great. I can't imagine doing this without him." Lorelai paused. "Well, I _can_, because I did it with Rory, but . . .you know what I mean. It's so much easier when there's someone there doing it with you."

Sookie nodded in agreement. "I bet it is."

Lorelai finished writing out the thank you note and passed it to Sookie. "Joshua's one week checkup is on Tuesday afternoon. It'll be our first time out of the house since we came home from the hospital."

"You haven't gone anywhere at all?"

"Nope."

"Not even to Friday night dinner?"

"No, Rory went alone," Lorelai replied. "My parents told me they'd understand if I needed to take a few weeks off, so. . ."

"So of course you took 'em up on it."

"Of course." Lorelai rolled her eyes and added, "Rory told me that they already turned one of the guest rooms into a nursery. You know, in case I'm there with the baby and need to put him in a crib or rock him or something."

"So I guess they want you to bring him to dinner?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I guess so. I don't know if I want to subject him to the house of terror at such a young age, though." She heard whimpering coming from the living room, and she smiled. "Ooh, someone's up." She glanced at the clock. "And right on schedule to eat. This kid inherited his mother's appetite, let me tell you. Be right back." 

Lorelai walked to the living room to retrieve Joshua from the baby swing. "Hello, little boy." She unbuckled him from the swing and lifted him out. She kissed his cheek and asked, "Did you have a good nap?" She carried him to the kitchen. "Look, your Aunt Sookie's here to see you."

"Hi, cute baby," Sookie greeted him.

"Can you hold him while I make his bottle?" Lorelai asked.

"Sure." Sookie took the baby and cradled him in her arms. 

"Luke and I started a new routine last night," Lorelai said as she started making the bottle. 

"A new routine for what?"

"For the middle-of-the-night feedings," Lorelai replied. "The first couple of days, both of us were getting up every time Josh got up, but now we alternate one at a time. We figured we would get more sleep that way."

"Sounds more efficient," Sookie commented.

"Yeah, it seemed to work well," Lorelai said. "Of course, we were both still tired as anything by the time morning rolled around, but unfortunately, lack of sleep is what parenthood's all about. Consider yourself warned."

"Trust me, we're prepared. We've read plenty of articles about it."

Lorelai finished making Joshua's bottle, and they moved into the living room so she could feed him on the couch.

* * *

Almost two weeks later, on Friday night, Luke arrived home from work slightly after nine. Rory was reading in the living room, and after talking with her for a few minutes, he quietly climbed the staircase. Like every night when he worked late, he stopped in the nursery to check on Joshua before heading into his own bedroom, and he was surprised to find the crib empty. 

Confused, he walked to his bedroom and slowly pushed open the door. Lorelai lay on her side, her back facing him. He stepped closer to the bed and saw that she was asleep with a contentedly sleeping Joshua right next to her on the bed. 

Lorelai, as if feeling his presence in the room, stirred and opened her eyes. She craned her neck back and saw Luke standing over her, and she smiled up at him. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hi." Luke leaned down and kissed her. "Looks like we have some company tonight, huh?"

Lorelai glanced at Joshua, then back at Luke. "Yeah, he cried every time I tried to put him down in the crib, so I brought him in here. He just needed some cuddling."

"Is he okay? Maybe he's getting sick."

Lorelai rolled onto her back. "I think he's fine. He was just being cranky."

"Are you just gonna leave him there?"

"I was planning on it, unless you wanna try to move him to the crib and risk waking him up," Lorelai said. "But then it might be a while before we get him back to sleep, and we'll be sitting here that whole time regretting the fact that we didn't just leave him here in the first place, and I always think that the less regrets you have in life the better, so we should try to take any preventative measures we can to avoid adding to our list of regrets"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm getting the very subtle hint that you don't wanna move him."

Lorelai sighed. "Well, he was cranky all night and just wanted to be held, so I'm like twice as tired as usual, and he seems to be sleeping well here, so. . .isn't there a saying that it's best to just let sleeping babies lie?"  


"I think that's sleeping dogs."

"Well, I'm pretty sure there's one about babies, too." Lorelai frowned. "Come on, look how cute he looks in the center of this big bed. I'd get up and take a picture if I wasn't about to collapse of exhaustion."

Luke sighed with concern. "But what if one of us. . .I don't know. . .rolls onto him or something?"

"Then we won't have this same problem tomorrow night."

"I'm being serious here, Lorelai."

Lorelai sat up with a sigh. "We're not going to roll on him, Luke. Our subconscious knows he's there, so our instincts will keep us from inadvertently squishing our newborn, okay?" Luke still seemed doubtful, so she added, "It'll be fine, trust me. And it won't be for that long. When he wakes up to eat, we can try to put him in the crib again. I just don't wanna risk waking him up now just to move him."

Luke reluctantly agreed to let him stay, and he went to get ready for bed. When he returned from the bathroom, he climbed under the covers on his side of the bed, keeping an eye on the baby as he shifted to get more comfortable. 

Lorelai rolled onto her side to face him. "So, anything interesting happen today?"

Luke shrugged. "Not really. Couldn't find a case of mayo for awhile, but we finally tracked it down. How was your day?"

"Okay. Just a normal day of mothering. Went through the usual routine of changing him, feeding him, cleaning up his spit-up. Oh, and I took him for a walk in the stroller this afternoon. He loves being outside."

"Well, the doctor said that fresh air is good for him, so that's good."

"Yup." Lorelai yawned and closed her eyes. "God, I'm so tired. You don't mind if I just doze off in the middle of our conversation, do you?"

Luke sat up and leaned against the headboard. He switched his gaze between her and Joshua for a minute, then said, "I think that I'm gonna try not to work nights anymore."

Lorelai opened her eyes slightly. "Hm?"

"I know I already cut it down to a few nights a week, but I don't wanna work _any_ anymore," he said. "I mean, the days like today when I work a full-day shift, open to close, I never get to see you. I get home and we have a three-minute conversation before you fall asleep." He shook his head. "It's not enough."

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, you miss me."

"Yeah, I do. And him. . ." He ran a finger over Joshua's chin. "And I wanna spend some time with Rory before she goes off to Yale."

Lorelai reached for his hand and kissed the top of it. "Well, whatever you wanna do that results in us getting to see you more, I'm all for it."

"Good."

"So what are you gonna do? Hire some more people?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know yet. Maybe. I'll have to figure something out." They talked for a few more minutes before kissing goodnight and going to sleep.

* * *

Two weeks later, Rory was down in the living room with Joshua while Luke and Lorelai were in their bedroom getting ready for Friday night dinner. 

Lorelai was sitting at her vanity in her robe putting on her makeup. "Have I mentioned that I don't wanna go tonight?"

"Only twenty times in the past half hour," Luke replied as he buttoned his shirt.

"They told me I could take a few weeks off. You were there at the hospital when they said that. You heard it, right?"

"Yep, I heard it."

"So I stupidly interpreted that to mean that I could, in fact, take a few weeks off from dinner and start going again when I was ready."

"I hate wearing ties," Luke muttered as he picked one out of his drawer.

"So does that give my mother any right to call me up in the middle of the week and tell me that enough time had passed and that I was _expected_ to be at dinner this week?" 

"They said a few weeks, and it's been a month," Luke pointed out. "So, yeah, I think she does have a right."

Lorelai frowned at him. "Someone seems to be forgetting the promise that he made almost a year ago that said he would forever be on my side when I was complaining about my mother."

"Oh, was that one of the wedding vows I took? Must've slipped my mind." He walked over to her, and she stood up with a sigh. He tucked her hair behind her ears, then kissed her. "Stop worrying about it, it'll be fine. And I'll be there with you, remember?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thanks for going. You being there will help ease the transition of getting back into the Friday night dinner routine."

"Good, I'm glad."

"And there's always the possibility that Josh will be really cranky and it'll give us an excuse to leave early."

"There ya go, way to look on the bright side."

She smiled and kissed his cheek before pulling away from him. "I gotta get dressed." She walked over to her closet and stared at the selection. "What should I wear?"

Luke shrugged. "Wear whatever you want."

"There's that husband-y helpfulness that I love so much. Thanks, hon."

"You're welcome." He sat on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on, and when he was done, she was still staring at the closet. "Just pick something."

Lorelai sighed. "I can't. All the things I wanna wear won't look good on me."

"Everything looks good on you."

"No, everything does not look good on me." Lorelai took off her robe and patted her stomach. "Look at this."

"What about it?"

"It feels all soft and mushy," Lorelai whined. "This is not the nice flat stomach I had when I bought any of these dresses, and thus I will not look good in them until I have that nice flat stomach back again."

Luke walked over to her and put his hands on her waist. "Trust me, you look good with either stomach."

"I do not."

"I wouldn't say it unless I meant it."

"Yes, you would, because you're sweet and adorable and you love me, and you'll say anything to make me happy."

"That's true."

Lorelai kissed him. "Plus, you haven't gotten any in a really long time and you're trying to flatter me into putting out."

Luke rolled his eyes. "That's _not_ true."

Lorelai gasped. "You mean you _have_ gotten some lately? From who? It certainly wasn't from me. Unless I was so tired and out of it that I didn't know it was going on, which is a definite possibility."

Luke walked over to the bed and sat down. "Uh, could you just find something to wear? We're gonna be late."

Lorelai walked over and sat down next to him. "Seriously, though. . .you're still okay with the waiting thing, right?"

"I'm fine," he replied with a shrug. "I've told you before, I don't care how long it takes. When you're ready, great. Until then, no big deal."

Lorelai reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his. "I wish I could tell you how much longer it'll be, but I'm not sure." She frowned. "Poor Chester might be neglected for another few weeks or so."

"Look, all that matters is that you're completely ready. If it takes a year, I'll wait a year. Don't worry about me, just take your time."

Lorelai kissed him and squeezed his hand. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome." Luke pointed to the closet. "Now go pick out something to wear."

Lorelai sighed and walked over to the closet. After surveying the selection for a moment, she chose an outfit and started getting dressed. 

"So, next Saturday's the big day," Luke said.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Lorelai told him. "I don't wanna think about it."

"You gotta think about it sooner or later."

"No, because if I don't think about it, then maybe it won't happen. Maybe the day for my firstborn to go off to a big scary college will pass by and nothing will happen and I won't go through the nervous breakdown that I've been preparing myself for."

"Or maybe she'll go off to that big scary college and you'll deal with it because you realize that it'll probably end up being the best four years of her life."

Lorelai frowned. "Okay, I'm in no mood for your completely irrational opinions."

As he watched Lorelai continue getting dressed, he could tell she was thinking about Rory. "You okay?"

Lorelai glanced over at him with a shrug. "I don't know. I'm just thinking about how different it's gonna feel around here. I mean, we've never lived apart. We've never been separated for more than a few days at a time."

"I know."

Lorelai sighed. "I'm just. . .I'm really gonna miss having her around."

Luke nodded understandably. "I know you are. I am, too."  


Lorelai took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Okay, I'm not gonna think about it right now. Let's just get this night over with." She buttoned up her shirt, then checked her hair in the mirror. 

Luke stood up and walked over to her. "Listen, I'll try to take a few days off from work this week. Then I'll stay home with Joshua, and you and Rory can go out and spend some time together, just the two of you."

Lorelai turned to him with a smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Lorelai hugged and kissed him. "Thank you." She took a step back from him and smoothed out her outfit. "Okay, how do I look?"

He nodded approvingly as he eyed her up and down. "Your usual perfect self."

"Good. Let's go."

The two of them walked downstairs, where Rory was sitting on the couch holding the baby. "How's he doing?" Lorelai asked.

"He's sleeping," Rory replied softly. 

"Oh, cool. He'll probably sleep during the whole car ride." Lorelai gently lifted Joshua from Rory's arms and placed him in his carseat. She buckled him in and tucked a blanket around him. 

Luke picked up the carseat. "Ready?"

"Yeah, I just have to grab his bottles." Lorelai walked to the kitchen, pulled some bottles out of the fridge and stuck them in the diaper bag that was on the table. She picked up the bag and returned to the living room. "All set. Let's go." They walked out of the house, piled into the truck, and headed toward Hartford.

* * *

To be continued . . .

I'm so sorry the chapters have been taking so long. I've been really busy lately, so my writing time's been limited. The rest of the story (I'm not sure how much more there will be – a chapter or two or three) will probably just be that basic casual fluffy writing style that I tend to favor, so I apologize to those of you who are waiting for something dramatic to happen. Thanks for reading. :)


	25. Part 25

"It's Still There – part 25"

* * *

They arrived at Emily and Richard's house and walked up to the front door. Before ringing the doorbell, Lorelai glanced down at Joshua, who was sleeping in the carseat. "Lucky kid. Wish I could sleep during Friday night dinner."

"Well, maybe you should try it," Rory suggested. "I dare you to just go inside and curl up with a blanket on the couch."

Lorelai giggled. "Man, I'd love to see Emily's reaction if I did something like that."

"Yeah, well, try it another time," Luke said. "She might wake Josh up when she starts scolding you." He gestured toward the doorbell. "Someone ring it, please. It's hot out here."

Rory rang the doorbell, and a moment later, Emily opened the door with a wide smile. "There they are, the whole family. Come in, come in."

They walked into the house, and as Luke set the carseat down, Emily leaned over it to look at Joshua. "He's sleeping."

"I see your eyesight's still going strong there, Mom," Lorelai commented.

Emily ignored her and frowned. "Well, I was hoping to hold him for a bit before dinner, but I don't want to wake him up."

"Well, I'm sure you'll get to hold him at some point tonight," Luke said. "He should be up to eat soon."

"Why don't we take him upstairs to the nursery?" Emily suggested. "It'll be nice and quiet up there for him to sleep."

Lorelai glanced around with a shrug. "I think it'll be quiet enough down here for him, unless you were planning on doing a little breakdancing or something."

"Well, he's probably not very comfortable in that carseat," Emily commented. "Let's put him in the crib."

Lorelai shrugged. "He's fine. He sleeps in there a lot. Plus, if we move him out of it, it might wake him up."

Emily sighed with defeat. "Well, fine, he can sleep down here, but don't you at least want to see the room? I mean, we went through all the trouble of creating a nursery just for him, you'd think you'd be interested in taking a look at it."

Lorelai rolled her eyes slightly. "Yes, of course we wanna see it. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that it was offensive of me not to request a tour of it immediately upon entering the house. My mistake. Now I know how the procedure works for next time you redecorate a room."

Rory cleared her throat. "So, Grandma. . .where's Grandpa?" 

"Smooth transition," Lorelai commented.

"He's in his study finishing up some work," Emily replied. "He insisted that he wouldn't be too much longer." She rubbed her hands together. "Well, let's go upstairs and take a look at the room, shall we?"

"I'll stay down here with Joshua," Rory offered. "I've already seen the nursery."

Luke, Lorelai, and Emily climbed the staircase up to the second floor and headed down the hallway to the guestroom-turned-nursery. "Here we are. . ." Emily smiled as she pushed open the door.

Lorelai and Luke walked into the room, which looked just as Lorelai would have imagined a boy's nursery decorated by her mother would look like – lots of white expensive-looking furniture surrounded by blue walls and a blue carpet.

"Wow. Very nice, Mom," Lorelai commented.

"Yeah, looks great," Luke added.

Emily smiled proudly. "I knew you two would like it."

"It was nice of you to do this," Luke said. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble."

"Oh, nonsense," Emily waved him off. "My grandson deserves his own place when he comes over. Babies need privacy, too, you know."

"Actually, I think giving a baby too much privacy can be qualified as abandonment," Lorelai remarked. "You know, since they can't really do anything on their own and thus need people to help them survive." Emily narrowed her eyes at her, and Lorelai smiled and added, "But the room's really great, Mom. Well done."

"Thank you. Now, let's go back downstairs," Emily said. "I want to introduce you to Lucy."

Lorelai gasped. "Lucy Liu? You got her to come to dinner?"

Before Emily could even ask, Luke rolled his eyes and said, "Ignore her."

Emily nodded understandably and walked out of the room, and Luke and Lorelai followed behind her. "Lucy is the nanny I hired for Friday nights," Emily explained.

Lorelai stopped walking. "What?" She grabbed onto Luke to get him to stop with her.

Emily turned around to face them. "Yes, I thought it would be more convenient if there was someone here to help tend to the baby."

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "Wait, you hired a stranger to come here and watch our son _while_ we're here with him?"

"Don't worry, she had impeccable references, Lorelai," Emily insisted. "She'll be wonderful with Joshua."

Lorelai shook her head. "Um, no, she won't, because she's not coming anywhere near him."

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked. "Of course she is."

"No, she's _not_, Mom," Lorelai declared loudly. 

Luke put his hand on her back. "Lorelai. . ."

"The purpose of Friday night dinners is to spend time together as a family," Lorelai said.

"I know that," Emily interjected.

"And Joshua is part of that family," Lorelai continued. "I'm not gonna send him off to be with some stranger the whole night."

"Well, of course he won't be with her the _whole_ night, Lorelai," Emily said. "Lucy's here just in case you need some extra help. For instance, what if he starts crying while we're eating? Wouldn't it be good to have someone here to take care of him for you?"

"No, it wouldn't, Mom!" Lorelai exclaimed. "It might be hard to comprehend this, but when the baby cries, Luke and I stop whatever it is we're doing and take care of him ourselves. We don't pawn him off to someone else just because it's more _convenient_." 

"You don't have to take that tone, Lorelai," Emily scolded her. "I was only doing this because I thought it would be helpful for you. You don't want the nanny? Fine, I'll go tell her that her services are no longer needed."

"Yes, why don't you go do that," Lorelai replied haughtily. With an annoyed sigh, Emily headed down the hallway and disappeared down the staircase. Lorelai turned to Luke and groaned. "God, I can't believe she did that."

"She thought she was doing something nice."

"No, she thought that we're raising our kid the way she raised me," she retorted. "Letting other people do all the care-taking."

"Having a nanny look after him for an hour a week isn't exactly the same as that, Lorelai."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you taking her side?"

Luke put his hands on her waist. "No, I'm just trying to calm you down before you go further into freak-out mode. It's not that big a deal. She's telling the nanny to leave, just forget about it."

"But the fact that she even – "

Luke interrupted her by pressing his lips against hers. He kissed her softly, then pulled back and repeated, "Just forget about it. The night'll be much easier if you don't think about it or mention it anymore."

"But – "

"Lorelai. . ."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine, but let's say we're eating dinner and Joshua starts crying and my mother makes some stupid comment about how it would be nice if there was a nanny there to help out. . ."

"Then you have my full support to reply with some sort of rude remark."

"Thank you."

"But only if she provokes it. Otherwise, just drop it."

"Fine." Lorelai shook her head slightly toward the ground. "Have I mentioned I don't wanna be here?"

"Yes, you have. Let's go." Luke took her hand and led her back downstairs.

* * *

That night, Joshua was sleeping when they arrived home from Friday night dinner. Lorelai gently removed him from his carseat and carried him up to the crib, then walked into the master bedroom where Luke was already changing out of his suit. 

Lorelai rummaged through her dresser for some pajamas and started changing. Behind her, Luke said, "Just tell me already."

Lorelai turned around with confusion. "Tell you about what?"

"Whatever's going on that made you act like that tonight."

"What are you talking about?" Lorelai asked. "The night was perfectly fine after the nanny fiasco. My mom didn't bring it up at all."

"Yeah, I know, but she said a couple of other things throughout the night that I was sure you'd respond to sarcastically, but. . .nothing. Practically no smart-ass comments all night. So what's wrong?" 

Lorelai scoffed. "Why does something have to be wrong for me to act like a normal proper adult?"

"Because I didn't marry a normal proper adult, I married you," Luke replied. "And when you're not acting like yourself, there's a reason why."

"Yeah, well. . . " Lorelai's voice trailed off and they finished changing in silence. She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail, then stood next to the bed with her hands on her hips.

Luke, standing on the other side of the bed, shrugged toward her. "So. . ."

"Sit down." They both sat on the bed, and she continued, "The nanny thing made me start thinking about what we're gonna do when it's time for me to go back to work." She paused a moment before adding, "If I decide to go back to work."

Luke's eyes widened. "What do you mean, _if_? You wanna stop working?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know, I was thinking about it. I mean, you know I love work, you know I love the inn. . ."

Luke nodded. "I know you do." 

"But I was thinking about what it would be like to maybe take a few years off," Lorelai continued. "You know, raise him full time until he starts school."

Luke was clearly surprised by the suggestion. "I never saw you as one to go for the whole 'the husband works while the wife stays at home' image."

"I know, me either," Lorelai admitted. "But the more I thought about it, the more appealing the idea became."

"But when you decide to start work again, you probably won't be able to work at the Independence," Luke pointed out. "They'll have a new manager, they won't need you."

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, then, maybe that'll be when Sookie and I can start working on our own inn." Luke took a deep breath as he drank in the situation, and Lorelai eyed his expression. "What's wrong? You don't exactly look thrilled at the prospect."

"Well. . . I'm just thinking that with Rory in Yale right now, I don't know if it's the best time to cut off half our income."

"Well, then, maybe. . .I don't know. . .maybe I can just work part time so if we do have to put him in day care or something, it'll just be for a few hours a day." Lorelai sighed. "I just. . . I don't want to be away from him all day. I know you probably think that sounds stupid, but. . ."

"There's nothin' stupid about that," Luke assured her, shaking his head. "We'll work it out. Even if. . ." His voice trailed off.

"Even if what?"

Luke was hesitant, but he completed his thought. "Even if we have to borrow money from your parents to help with Yale." Before she could respond, he added, "Yeah, I know you'd probably rather be buried alive than do that, but. . .I don't know, it might be the best option to fall back on."

Lorelai glanced down at the bed, and was quiet for a moment as she fidgeted with the buttons on her pajama top. Finally, she reluctantly muttered, "I guess. . .maybe. . .it's a possibility. . ."

Luke comfortingly rubbed her arm. "Look, we still have awhile before you're supposed to go back to the inn, so we don't have to worry about it just yet." He leaned back against his pillow, and Lorelai snuggled up against him. "We can talk about it some more when it gets closer, we'll figure something out."

"Okay." She was quiet a moment, then looked up at him. "You wouldn't mind, right? I mean, if we had to borrow the money. . ."

He kissed the top of her head. "If that's what you wanna do, that's what we'll do."

* * *

On Tuesday afternoon, Lorelai was sitting on the couch holding Joshua when Luke walked through the front door. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized.

"It's okay, our appointments aren't for another twenty minutes," Lorelai replied.

He dropped his keys on the desk, then gestured upstairs. "I'm gonna go change real quick. I'll be right back down."

"Okay."

As Luke went upstairs, Lorelai walked with Joshua to Rory's bedroom, where Rory was organizing piles of things to pack for Yale. "Getting everything ready for your planned escape-from-Mommy day?" Lorelai asked.

Rory turned around. "Yup. What do you think – should I buy my notebooks and pens and folders here, or just buy them when I get there?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. "Hm, I think they'll probably be cheaper here, but the ones there will probably say Yale on them so you can be all school spirit-y."

"Yeah, but doesn't showing too much school spirit scream 'I'm a big loser whose only interest in life is the school I go to'?" Rory asked. 

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't think so. Unless you shave 'I love Yale' into the back of your head, I think you'll be good."

"Okay." Rory glanced toward the window. "I thought I heard a car door slam before. Is Luke home?"

"Yup. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, all set." Rory walked over and rubbed Joshua's arm. "Hey there, little guy. Are you gonna be good for your dad?"

"I hope so, or else we might get a call in the middle of our facials from Luke screaming at me to get home and take care of the baby." Lorelai kissed Joshua's forehead. "He's never watched him for so long by himself before. I hope he can handle it." 

"He'll be fine," Rory assured her. "They'll _both_ be fine."

They heard footsteps on the staircase and the girls walked toward the living room. "Are you ready for me, Daddy?" Lorelai asked in her baby voice.

"Yup." Luke took Joshua from her and held him up at face level. "Hey, buddy. You ready for some male bonding?" 

"Gonna drink some beers, scope out some chicks?" Lorelai asked.

"If he's up to it," Luke replied as he rested Joshua against his chest. "Is he ready to eat?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not quite, he should be good for another hour or so. He's tired, though, so if you rock him a little, he'll probably go right to sleep until he's hungry."

Luke nodded. "Okay. Where are you going again?"

"First, facials and haircuts," Rory replied. "Then out to dinner, but we haven't decided on a place yet."

"Oh, and you took Thursday and Friday off, right?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Yup, I'll be home all day both days, so you guys can go out and do whatever you want." 

"Cool. Thanks, Luke," Rory said. 

"Okay, let's go." Lorelai kissed the back of Joshua's head. "Bye sweetie, I love you." She kissed Luke. "You, too."

"Back at ya." 

Lorelai nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment. "You're gonna be okay, right? Call me if you need me. You know, if you can't get him to stop crying or anything like that. . ."

"We'll be fine," Luke assured her, then waved them toward the door. "Go. Have fun."

* * *

Later that night, Lorelai and Rory were eating dinner at Teriyaki Joe's, discussing their plans for the rest of the week. "So the strengthening of the mother-daughter bond is on hold for tomorrow, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, I'm gonna spend the day with Lane," Rory replied. "But then on Thursday, the strengthening resumes."

"Okay, good. I think we should start off the day by going to that really good pancake place in Southington."

"Ooh, yeah, we haven't been there in so long."

"And then we should do something really adventurous, like go skydiving or bungee jumping or miniature golfing or something."

Rory smiled amusedly. "Miniature golfing is adventurous?"

"Hey, it can get pretty dangerous. . . some people underestimate the velocity of the spinning windmill and they try to touch it and bam – it slices off their hand."

Rory nodded understandably. "Yeah, I've read many an article about that. They should really ban those things."

"Anyway, after that we should hit the mall and buy the rest of your stuff for school, and then come home and eat lots of junk food and watch as many classic movies as we can."

"Sounds like a plan. What about Friday?"

"Well, I was thinking on Friday, maybe you and I could catch a movie or two, and then the four of us could all do something," Lorelai said. "You, me, Luke, Joshua. You know, spend that last day just hanging out together before Friday night dinner. Maybe go to the park or go swimming at the lake."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, that'll be fun."

There was silence for a moment as Lorelai pushed her food aimlessly around her plate. "And then Saturday. . ."

"Yeah. . ." Rory glanced down at her own plate. "It's a big day."

"Sure is," Lorelai agreed. "Are you nervous?"

Rory nodded. "But it's the good kind of nervous."

"Excited-nervous as opposed to scared-nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Good, that's good." They were both quiet for a minute before Lorelai smiled and said, "You know, it's gonna be great, hon. . .going off to college, being on your own for the first time, going through all sorts of new experiences. . ."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, it'll be good."

"I'm sure it'll probably seem a little weird and scary at first, but once you adjust to everything, it'll be great," Lorelai assured her. Rory nodded, and a silence fell over the table as they both thought ahead to what Saturday would be like. 

* * *

That night, Lorelai and Rory arrived home and headed to their respective bedrooms. As Lorelai climbed the stairs, she heard Luke's voice coming from the nursery, and she walked to the door and peeked inside. The room was dark except for the soft glow of the night-light, and Luke was rocking the baby gently in the rocking chair.

". . .haven't won a World Series since 1916 and everyone always blames it on 'the curse of the Bambino,'" Luke was softly explaining to Joshua. "That's all a load of crap though. There's no such thing as curses. The bottom line is they have some good players, but they just haven't been able to get it all together when they really need to, you know what I mean?" Luke stared down at Joshua for a moment, then added, "By the way, try not to us the phrase 'load of crap' until you're at least eighteen, okay?" 

Lorelai smiled to herself and tapped lightly on the door. "Hey. . ."

Luke looked up, slightly startled. "Hey."

Lorelai walked into the room. "He's still awake?"

"He's starting to doze off," Luke replied.

Lorelai sat down on the floor in front of the rocking chair. "Because he's tired or because he's bored by the football conversation?"

"Actually, it was baseball," Luke corrected her.

Lorelai shrugged and waved him off. "Whatever." She patted his leg. "So how was your night? How was he?"

"He was good," Luke replied. "He slept most of the night. Cried a little, but nothing I couldn't handle."

Lorelai smiled. "Good. I was gonna call and check in with you, but Rory convinced me that you were probably fine."

"I told you we would be."

"I know, but it was the first time you've watched him by yourself for such a long period of time," Lorelai reminded him. "You've only ever watched him in short increments, not a big multi-hour span. It can be tough doing that for the first time."

"I guess, but it went fine. How was your night? Get some good quality mother/daughter time in?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded, then told him about her night, as well as the plans for the rest of the week. When she was finished, Luke gently set the sleeping Joshua down in the crib, and the two of them went to their bedroom. 

Luke, already dressed in his usual sleepwear of boxers and a T-shirt, got into bed while Lorelai changed. He glanced down at his hand and adjusted his wedding ring. "I can't believe it's been almost a year."

"Hm?" Lorelai glanced over at him, then smiled when she saw what he was referring to. "Yeah, me either. It went by pretty fast, huh?"

"Yeah, it did."

Lorelai finished changing, then climbed into bed next to him. "So what should we do on Monday?"

Luke shrugged as he caressed her leg. "Whatever you want."

"It's whatever _we_ want," Lorelai corrected him. "It's _your_ first wedding anniversary, too. You were under that chuppah with me."

"True."

"Not that that means that whoever was under the chuppah gets to partake in the wedding anniversary celebration though," Lorelai added, "because Reverend Nichols was under it, too, but I think that inviting him over on Monday to help us celebrate might be a little weird."

"Just a little," Luke agreed with a nod.

"So I guess I should rephrase my statement to say, 'You were under that chuppah with me as the person whom I dedicated my life to, and thus, you should also have a say in how we celebrate.' How's that?"

"Much better."

"Thank you. So, any thoughts?"

Luke shook his head. "Not really."

"Hm, me either." Lorelai thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe Reverend Nichols has some suggestions."

Luke smirked. "I think we'll come up with something on our own." 

Lorelai nodded and snuggled up against him. "There was this episode of Jerry Springer where this guy said that on one of their anniversaries, his wife brought home this really hot woman so they could celebrate with a threesome."

"Because nothing says 'I love being married to you' better than that."

"My thoughts exactly," Lorelai said. "So just in case you saw that same episode and were maybe wondering if I might do something like that for you, let me just come out and say that I probably won't."

Luke frowned with mock disappointment. "Aw, really – no chance?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Sorry. But, you know, if you ask me nicely enough, I just might one day consider letting you incorporate the blow-up doll of your choice into our bedroom antics."

Luke smiled and kissed her. "Good to know."

* * *

On Saturday morning, Joshua was in his stroller on the front porch while Luke, Lorelai, and Rory walked in and out of the house loading Rory's stuff for Yale into the cars. When everything was packed, the three of them gathered around the stroller. 

"Okay, we all know what's going on, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup, we've gone over it enough times," Luke replied. "You and Rory are gonna go now and unload the smaller stuff, then go to your orientation meetings."

"Then Sookie will be here at two to watch Joshua, and you can drive up and see the dorm and help us unload the heavier things," Lorelai finished. She glanced at the baby and sighed. "It's his first time with a babysitter. . ."

"He'll be fine," Luke assured her. "He knows Sookie."

"But Sookie hasn't spent much time with kids," Lorelai said nervously.

"Well, you spent an hour on the phone last night telling her everything she'd ever need to know about Joshua's daily routine, so I'm sure she's well prepared," Rory commented. 

"Plus, you wrote out that two-page reference guide for her," Luke added.

Lorelai frowned. "Are you two mocking me for trying to make sure my baby's caregiver is well-informed?"

"No, we're saying that you don't have to worry," Luke said. "Now you guys should get going."

"Yeah, let's go, Mom." Rory leaned down in front of the stroller and stroked Joshua's arm. "Bye, Josh. Your big sister's heading off to a big scary place called New Haven, but she'll be back to visit you a lot. You be good." She kissed Joshua on the cheek, then stood up and hugged Luke. "I'll see you in a little while, Luke." She stepped off the porch and headed toward her car.

"See ya." Luke reached for Lorelai's hand and pulled her closer. "Be careful driving. It'll probably be hard to see out the back window with all that stuff piled up."

Lorelai nodded. "I will."

Luke pulled her into a hug and comfortingly rubbed her back. "You're okay, right?"

Lorelai took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Now, anyway. I might have a different answer for you later tonight. Have some Kleenex ready just in case."

"I will." Luke kissed her cheek. "Go on, get going."

* * *

That afternoon, Lorelai and Rory were drinking coffee on a bench in the Yale courtyard while they waited for Luke to arrive. 

"I still can't believe it," Rory said with disbelief. "Paris as one of my roommates? I never would've imagined that would happen."

"I know, me either," Lorelai said. 

"I didn't even know she was going to Yale."

"Well, at least now you know someone here at school," Lorelai pointed out. "I mean, having her around might make the adjustment process a little easier."

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so." 

Lorelai smiled and patted Rory on the knee. "And I'm sure if you ask nicely, she'll share her life coach with you." 

Rory rolled her eyes. "Please. Don't get me started on that."

"Hey," a voice called, and they both turned around to see Luke walking toward them.

Lorelai smiled and stood up. "Hey, you."

"Hi, Luke," Rory greeted him. 

"Was everything okay with Joshua?" Lorelai asked him. "How was he?"

"He was good," Luke replied. "He was sleeping when Sookie got there."

Lorelai gasped. "And you just left him like that?"

Luke narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

Lorelai frowned. "Because he knows that you were there when he went to sleep, which means that he's gonna wake up expecting to see you, which means he'll be all confused when he sees Sookie there instead."

Luke rolled his eyes. "What would you rather me do, wake him up to personally explain to him that I was leaving and that Sookie'll be there to watch him until I get back?"

Lorelai folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, exactly. That way he won't be surprised."

Luke waved her off. "He'll be fine. How's everything here?"

"Good," Rory replied. "We got most of the stuff moved into the dorm." She grabbed Luke's arm. "And get this – Paris is one of my roommates."

Luke's eyes widened. "Paris from high school?"

"No, Paris Hilton," Lorelai quipped. 

"Yes, Paris from high school," Rory said, ignoring Lorelai's interjection. "Not only are we suitemates, we're sharing a _bedroom_."

Luke smirked. "Wow. That should be. . .uh, interesting."

"To say the least," Rory agreed. She gestured toward the imposing building behind her. "You wanna come see my dorm?"

Luke smiled and nodded. "Absolutely. Lead the way."

* * *

A few hours later, after he had helped the girls move the rest of the stuff into the dorm and they'd explored the school grounds a bit, Luke was getting ready to head back home. After he tossed a couple of empty suitcases into the back of the truck, he shut the back door and walked over to where Lorelai and Rory were standing.

"So I probably won't be too much longer," Lorelai said. "We're just gonna get some dinner and organize the room a little more, then I'll be home."

"Take as long as you need," Luke said.

"Call me when you get home, okay?" Lorelai asked. "Just. . . to let me know how Joshua did with Sookie and everything."

Luke nodded. "I will."

"Thanks for all the help, Luke," Rory said. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Luke shifted his feet and cleared his throat. "So. . .you know. . ." He patted Rory affectionately on the shoulder. "Be good. Work hard."

Rory smiled and nodded. "I will." She stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "And you now have the sole responsibility of keeping Mom out of trouble on a daily basis, so good luck with that." 

Luke smiled as he hugged her back. "Thanks." 

Rory kissed his cheek before pulling away from him. "Bye, Luke."

"See ya, kid," he replied. 

Lorelai put her arm around Rory's shoulder. "Uh, honey, can you give me a minute with Luke?"

"Sure. I'll head back to the room." Rory gave Luke a wave as she turned and headed toward her dorm.

Lorelai watched her walk off, then turned to Luke. "She's scared."

"Scared of what?" 

Lorelai gestured around her. "Of all this. Of being here alone, apart from me for the first time."

"Did she say that?"

"I can tell," Lorelai assured him. "So I'm just gonna hang out here with her for awhile, talk to her, make sure she's comfortable with everything before I leave."

Luke nodded, then eyed her for a second. "You doing this for her or for _you_?"

Lorelai glanced down at the sidewalk, then shrugged a little. "Maybe both."

Luke nodded understandably. "Take your time. Call if you're gonna be really late." 

"I will." Lorelai kissed him goodbye, and after watching him drive off, she turned and headed toward the dorm.

* * *

That night, Lorelai and Rory walked out of the suite into the hallway of the dorm and headed toward the door to the courtyard. When they reached it, they stopped and turned to each other.

"So. . .this is it," Lorelai said, reaching for Rory's hands. "You good?"

Rory nodded. "I'm good. You good?"

"I'm good." Lorelai cleared her throat. "So. . .you know. . .learn stuff."

"Will do."

"But not all the time," Lorelai continued. "Make sure you squeeze a little fun in there, too."

"I will, I promise."

"But not too much fun," Lorelai quickly added. "I mean, a fair amount of fun, yes, but nothing too crazy, you know. . ."

Rory smiled. "I got it, Mom." She leaned forward and hugged Lorelai tightly. "I love you."

"Love you, too," Lorelai said as she squeezed Rory tighter. She kissed her cheek and pulled back with a reluctant sigh. "Bye, hon."

"Bye, Mom." 

Lorelai walked out of the building, looking back once to give Rory a final wave. Rory lingered by the door and watched Lorelai until she disappeared from her view, then slowly headed back to her suite.

* * *

A short while later, Lorelai arrived home. Luke was waiting on the couch, and stood up when he heard the front door open. "Hey." 

Lorelai walked into the living room and headed right for him, pressing up against his body in a silent request to be held. He complied, embracing her with his strong arms as he kissed the top of her head. "You okay?"

Lorelai sniffled and pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. "I miss her already."

"I know. I do, too."

Lorelai sighed sadly. "Tell me something to make me happy."

"Like what?" 

"I don't know, anything."

"Um. . .I love you?" Luke offered.

Lorelai smiled. "That'll work, thank you." She glanced around the room. "Is Josh sleeping?"

"Yeah, I just put him in the crib a few minutes ago."

Lorelai started walking toward the staircase. "I feel like I haven't seen him at all today." 

Luke followed her up the stairs and they both walked into the nursery. They stepped up to the crib, and Luke wrapped his arms around Lorelai's waist from behind. "Look at him," Lorelai whispered. "I wonder what he's dreaming about."

"Probably seafood."

Lorelai glanced back at him with a confused look. "What? Why?"

"'Cause when I got home this afternoon, Sookie was in the process of explaining to him how she makes her lobster potpie."

Lorelai smiled, then leaned back against him, relaxing in his embrace as she let out a content sigh. "God, he's so cute. I could stand here and stare at him for hours."

"Well, besides that, what do you wanna do tonight?" Luke asked. "Tired enough to go to sleep yet?"

"Nah, not yet. I think I'm gonna take a bath, then maybe we can watch some tv or something?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Luke kissed the side of her neck, then rubbed her shoulders. "I'll go start the tub for ya. You take a few more minutes of staring-time."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks." Luke left the room, and as she sat down in the rocking chair to watch her son sleep, she wondered what her daughter was doing at that same moment. 

After sitting a minute or two in silence, Lorelai heard the phone ring. She jumped up to answer it before it woke up Joshua, quietly pulling the nursery door shut as she left the room. In her bedroom, she picked up the phone and flopped down on the bed. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom."

Lorelai smiled at the sound of Rory's voice. "Hey." Then her smile quickly fell and she became concerned. "Wait, are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine," Rory replied. "I just. . .wanted to make sure you got home okay."

"Yeah, just got here a few minutes ago," Lorelai replied. 

"Okay, good. I'm glad the drive home was completed successfully." Rory was quiet a second, then added, "So. . .that's all I wanted to know."

"Hon, you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just. . ." Rory sighed. "You know, I missed you. . .and I wanted to say goodnight."

"I miss you, too. I was just thinking about you."

"About where to put my stuff when you turn my bedroom into Joshua's new playroom?"

"Yes, exactly. I was thinking we should just throw it all in the garage. That way you'd still have access to it if you need it, but it wouldn't be in the way."

"Sounds like a good plan."

Lorelai smiled. "Call me tomorrow?"

"Probably multiple times," Rory promised.

"Okay, good. 'Night, hon. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mom," Rory replied. "Night."

Lorelai hung up the phone. She stood up and walked toward the closet, stopping briefly to smile at the picture of Rory and her on her dresser before grabbing her robe and heading for the bathroom.

* * *

To be continued. . . 

Many, many, many apologies for the long wait between chapters. I've been writing as often as I can, but with so much going on right now, I only have a small amount of free time each day. Thanks to anyone out there still reading. :)


	26. Part 26

"It's Still There – part 26"

* * *

Shortly after five on Monday morning, Joshua woke up crying and Luke got out of bed to take care of him. After feeding him, changing him, and keeping him entertained in the nursery for a little while, Luke brought him into the master bedroom. 

Lorelai was curled up on her side of the bed asleep, and Luke sat down next to her with Joshua, who was starting to whimper. "Shh, it's okay," Luke whispered to Joshua before kissing him on the cheek. "We're gonna wake up your mom." Luke ran his hand over Lorelai's back. "Lorelai?"

"Hm?" 

"Time to get up. I gotta get ready for work." 

Lorelai groaned into her pillow. "What time is it?"

"Almost six," Luke replied. "And someone wants to see you."

Lorelai opened her eyes and rolled onto her back, and she smiled when she saw Joshua. "Hi there, handsome," she cooed as she stroked his chin. "How's Mommy's boy? Did you have a good sleep?" Joshua's lips curled up into a tiny smile, and Lorelai's eyes widened. "Aw, he just smiled at me!" She sat up and took the baby from Luke.

"He's smiled before," Luke reminded her.

"No, those were just little random smiles that didn't mean anything. This was a smile _at_ me, a smile of _recognition_, a smile that said, 'hey, I know that lady, that's my mommy.'" Lorelai kissed Joshua on the cheek, then sighed as she hugged him to her chest. "I remember the exact moment when Rory first gave me that smile." She bit her bottom lip and gave a pondering glance toward the clock. 

Luke shook his head. "Don't do it."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't do what? You don't know what I'm thinking."

"You're wondering if it's too early to call Rory."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "How do you do that?"

"Trust me, I know you better than you think. And I doubt that she's up yet, so wait 'til later." 

Lorelai sighed. "Okay, fine." 

"Good. And by the way. . ." Luke leaned forward and kissed her. "Happy anniversary."

Lorelai smiled and pulled him closer for a deeper kiss. "Happy anniversary." He ran his hand affectionately over her face, and she leaned her cheek into his palm. "You know, at this exact time last year, I was. . ." She paused and glanced back at the clock. "Well, I was sleeping. But a few hours later, I was getting ready for our wedding. It's hard to believe it was a whole year ago when I remember it like it was yesterday." 

Luke smiled. "I know. Been a pretty interesting year, huh?"

"Very," Lorelai agreed. "And I wouldn't change a minute of it."

"Me either." 

As Joshua started to become fussy, Lorelai kissed his head and rocked him gently in her arms. "Is he hungry?"

"Nope," Luke replied. "I just fed him and changed him."

"So he's bored."

"Probably."

"Okay, here." Lorelai passed the baby back to Luke. "Let me go to the bathroom real quick, then I'll take him." She climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom, and when she returned to the bedroom a few minutes later, Joshua was crying loudly. 

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Geez, what did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything," Luke replied. "He's just not in a happy mood right now."

"Clearly." Lorelai took the baby from Luke and rocked him in her arms. "Shh, shh, shh, it's okay, calm down." She brought Joshua up to her shoulder and rubbed his back, softly singing, "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob Squarepants! Something and something and yellow is he! Spongebob Squarepants! If blah blah blah blah blah is something you wish. . ." 

Luke rolled his eyes. "Why don't you sing a song that you know the words to?"

Lorelai nodded toward Joshua, whose cries had lessened. "It worked, didn't it?"

"It's still annoying," Luke muttered as he walked over to his dresser.

Lorelai shrugged. "Okay, fine, then I'll go sing to him downstairs, but that means I won't be able to tell you about the very important decision I made about tonight."

Luke eyed her curiously as he pulled on a pair of jeans. "What decision?"

"Can't tell you. Gotta go downstairs. . ." She turned around and started to walk out of the room.

"Get back in here," Luke said sternly.

Lorelai turned around with a sly smile. "Oh, now me and my annoyingness can stay?"

"Yes, now tell me what you're talkin' about," Luke said as he walked toward her. "What decision?"

Lorelai shifted Joshua to her other shoulder, then stroked Luke's stubbly cheek with her fingers. "Well, I was thinking that. . .I think I'm ready for us to recommence the beautiful act of physical intimacy that we used to be oh-so-good at." 

Surprised, Luke's eyes widened slightly. "Oh. . ."

"Yeah. . ." She pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. "And I was thinking with it being our anniversary, tonight might be a good night for us to get back into the groove. You know, unless you've grown fond of the whole temporary celibacy thing and wanted to make it permanent."

Luke smirked. "Not particularly."

"Good."

He put his hands on her shoulders and slowly slid them down her arms to her waist. "You sure about this? I mean, I want you to be completely ready. . ."

"I'm ready," Lorelai said with a nod. 

"I mean, I don't want you to do it just because it's our anniversary and you think that's something we _should_ do," Luke continued. 

"Luke, I'm ready, trust me," Lorelai insisted. "I wouldn't say I was unless I really, really was." She kissed him. "But you'll have to be gentle."

"I can be gentle," he assured her.

"And we'll have to take it slow."

"Very slow," he agreed with a nod. "Slow and gentle, I promise."

Lorelai smiled and patted his chest. "See, now aren't you glad I shared my decision with you?"

"Very."

"Good." She nodded toward the doorway. "We're gonna head downstairs." Luke nodded, and as they left the room, he walked back over to his dresser to finish getting dressed.

* * *

That night, Lorelai was curled up on the sofa talking on the phone with Rory. 

"So you're just spending the night in?" Rory asked. 

"Yup, we're gonna eat dinner and hang out here, maybe watch our wedding video or something. You know, just a nice relaxing evening at home."

"Where are the boys?"

"Josh is sleeping in the baby swing, and Luke's cooking me dinner."

"Aw, that's sweet. The perks of being married to a chef, huh?"

"Yup." Lorelai smiled at the vase of flowers sitting on the coffee table. "And he brought me home the most beautiful roses. . .red ones and white ones and pink ones. They smell incredible."

Rory smiled. "That Luke sure does know how to treat a gal, huh?"

"Yes, he does," Lorelai agreed. They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up, then Lorelai headed to the kitchen. Luke was peering into the fridge, and Lorelai walked up behind him and ran her hands over his back. "Whatcha looking for, stud?"

Luke reached into the back of the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine, then turned around to face her. "This." 

Lorelai smiled. "Ah, nice." As Luke shut the refrigerator door and set the wine on the counter, she gestured to the table, which was already set for dinner. "And that looks amazing. I love the candlelight. Decided to let Romantic Luke out to play tonight, huh?"

Luke shrugged. "Figured our anniversary was a good time to let him to make a rare appearance."

"I agree." She kissed him, then pulled back and locked her eyes with his, a content smile on her lips.

Luke eyed her curiously. "What's that look for?"

"It's for you," she replied. "It's an 'I'm reflecting on what a great husband you've been over the past year and how happy you make me' look."

"Oh. I thought it was your 'I'm craving chocolate' look."

Lorelai smiled. "If it was the chocolate look, it would've been accompanied by a sliver of drool running down my chin." 

"Ah, right, should've known."

"Not that you don't make me drool," she added. "'Cause you do, especially when I'm thinking about how sexy you are. But right now I'm thinking about how great you are in the supportive, caring, loving husband way, not in the 'Oh God, he's so hot, I need to do him right now' kind of way."

Luke nodded understandingly. "Got it." 

"Good." She ran a finger slowly over his soft lips. "I don't think I tell you that enough." Her voice was soft, almost apologetic.

"Tell me what? That you wanna do me?" 

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "No, that you're an amazing husband. That I never imagined I'd love someone as much as I love you. That my eyes light up when I see you or hear your voice or think about you. That I can't imagine my life without you in it." She sighed and shook her head disappointedly. "I mean, these are things that a wife should mention once in awhile so that her husband knows how much she loves and appreciates him, but I don't do that enough, so I suck. I'm sorry." 

Luke rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me? You're fine at it. _I'm_ the one who sucks with stuff like that."

Lorelai gasped. "You do _not_ suck at it, Luke."

"Well, neither do you," he assured her, rubbing her shoulders. "And all that stuff about. . .ya know. . .your eyes lighting up and not imagining life without me. . ."

"Yeah?"

"Well. . .ditto." Luke brought his hands to her face and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "Every day I think about how lucky I am to have you."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." 

They kissed passionately, then Lorelai rested her head against his chest. "I like when we do this. I mean, to just take a few serious minutes away from our usual sarcastic teasing of each other to say, 'hey, you know what, I love you a lot'. . .it feels good. Doesn't it feel good?"

"It feels good," he agreed.

"We should do it more often."

"We should."

"Okay, then, it's settled," Lorelai announced. "There will be more mushiness in the Danes household from now on." 

"Okay, good, I'll make a note of that." Luke kissed her, then gestured to the table. "Let's eat before it's get cold." 

* * *

They were almost finished with dinner when Joshua woke up crying, and Luke walked into the living room to retrieve him from the baby swing. He calmed him down, then changed his diaper on the couch before bringing him into the kitchen. 

Lorelai had just finished making a bottle, and she smiled as they entered the room. "Hey there, handsome boy," she cooed to Joshua. "Did you sleep well? Come to Mommy." She set the bottle on the table and held out her arms toward Luke, who passed Joshua to her. 

Lorelai kissed the baby's cheek and rocked him in her arms. "I love you, little boy. And Daddy loves you, too, and if you were trying to think of a good way to maybe return the love to us, you can try to go to bed a little early tonight so Mommy and Daddy can have a little alone time, okay? What do you say?" Joshua gurgled, and Lorelai smiled. "Good boy."

Luke picked up the bottle from the table. "Okay, you wanna feed him or wash the dishes?"

"The dishes can wait." Lorelai took Luke's arm and pulled him toward the living room. "Let's feed him together."

"But the kitchen's a mess," Luke argued.

"The mess can wait, Luke," Lorelai insisted. "There are only a few hours of our anniversary left."

"So?"

"So, if you only had less than four hours to live, would you spend it doing stupid chores or would you try to spend as much time as possible with your family?"

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "The best analogy you could think of on our anniversary involves me dying at midnight?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Okay, that probably wasn't the _best_ one, but I'm just saying. . .let the chores wait until tomorrow so we can spend the rest of our anniversary together." She fingered the collar of his T-shirt. "Plus, doing the dishes will waste precious energy that could be put to better use later tonight."

Luke raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, you win."

Lorelai smiled and tapped her finger on Luke's nose. "I always do, hon." She sat down on the couch. As she positioned Joshua in her arms to be fed, she said, "Why don't you put on our wedding video? We'll watch that while he's eating." Luke complied, then sat down next to her on the couch.

* * *

Almost two hours later, Luke had the baby in his lap while Lorelai held out a rattle in front of him, watching Joshua's eyes follow the small toy wherever she moved it. 

"He looks like he's finally starting to get tired," Lorelai commented. She put the rattle down and reached for a book from the coffee table. "Let's read to him some more, then I'll take him upstairs and rock him to sleep."

"I can rock him," Luke offered. 

"Nah, I'll do it," Lorelai replied. "It'll give you a chance to go clean up the kitchen since I know you've been sitting here for two hours thinking about the mess we left in there."

"Have not."

Lorelai smirked and cocked her head to the side. "I heard you start to clean up when you went in to get our drinks."

Luke scoffed. "I wasn't cleaning up, I was moving the dishes from the table to the sink."

"Which is otherwise known as cleaning up," Lorelai pointed out.

Luke pointed to the book in her hands. "Just read."

Lorelai proceeded to read a few pages aloud until Joshua started to squirm in Luke's arms. "Looks like he's tired of that book," Luke commented.

Lorelai closed the book and tossed it aside. "Good, 'cause I'm tired of reading about Big Bird looking for his stupid teddy bear. We gotta find some more interesting kids' books." She stood up and held out her hands for Joshua. "Here, I'll take him upstairs and put him to bed."

Luke stood up and handed the baby over to Lorelai, then kissed Joshua on the forehead. "'Night, little guy." 

"I'll be down in a little bit," Lorelai said as she headed for the staircase.

* * *

Luke cleaned up the kitchen, then sat down in the living room to watch television while he waited for Lorelai. After half an hour passed by, he went upstairs to check on her. He walked into the nursery and found Lorelai still rocking the baby.

"He's not asleep yet?" Luke asked quietly.

"Yeah, he is, but I wanted to make sure he was in a deep sleep before I put him in the crib," she whispered. "I'll put him down soon."

"Okay." 

Luke went into their bedroom and sat on the bed. He was absently flipping through a sports magazine when Lorelai walked into the room a few minutes later. 

"Okay, he's down," she whispered as she sat down next to him on the bed. 

Luke tossed the magazine aside. "Okay, good."

"So here's the game plan." Lorelai kissed him. "I'm gonna go freshen up in the bathroom real quick. . ." She kissed him again. ". . .and then we can commence with the slow and gentle lovemaking." She kissed him a third time, longer and deeper than the others. "Sound good?"

Luke nodded, but the look in his eyes showed some hesitancy. He ran his hand down her arm. "You sure about this? I don't want you doin' anything you're not ready for."

"I'm promise you I'm one hundred percent ready," she assured him.

"You sure? I mean, I can wait as long as you want. No rush."

Lorelai smiled and rolled her eyes. "Please, I know how anxious you are. I half expected you to be lying in here naked waiting for me." 

Luke smirked. "Yeah, well, I wanted to, but I exercised some restraint."

Lorelai patted his leg. "And for that I'm very proud of you." She kissed him. "I'll be right back." Luke nodded, and Lorelai left for the bathroom.

* * *

The next afternoon, Lorelai walked into the Independence Inn kitchen cradling Joshua in her arms. "Aunt Sookie, we came to visit you," Lorelai called in a singsong voice.

"Hm?" Sookie looked up from the vegetables she was chopping and smiled when she saw her visitors. "Oh, hey!" She wiped her hands on a dishtowel and walked over to them. She gently squeezed Joshua's arm. "Hey there, little boy. You're getting cuter and cuter everyday, do you know that?"

"Yes, he does," Lorelai replied. "And frankly, I think it's starting to go to his head. I mean, it's good to have confidence, but some days he'll just sit there for hours and hours talking about how adorable he is."

Sookie giggled. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, and I don't want him to grow up to be shallow, you know? So we've removed all the mirrors from the house to try to get him to focus on the more important things in life."

"Good plan." 

"Yeah, but then yesterday I found that he had snuck a spoon into his crib and was trying to look at himself in it, so it'll take some time to completely reform him."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck," Sookie said with an amused smile. She gestured toward the back door. "Wanna sit out back on the porch for a few minutes? I could use some fresh air." 

"Yeah, absolutely. It's beautiful out today." 

After Sookie told the kitchen staff she'd be right back, they walked to the back door and stepped out onto the porch. They walked over to a bench and sat down. "How are you feeling?" Lorelai asked. "Ready for him to come out yet?"

Sookie nodded as she rubbed her stomach. "I'm way past ready. I can't believe I still have two months to go."

"Don't worry, the last two months go by the quickest," Lorelai assured her.

"Really?" Sookie asked hopefully.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Well, no, they seemed to last forever for _me_, but maybe they'll go fast for _you_."

Sookie smirked and rolled her eyes. "You're so comforting, thank you."

Lorelai smiled. "No problem." She shifted Joshua in her arms and kissed his forehead. "Hey, did you tell Aunt Sookie that we saw your sister today?"

"No, he didn't mention it," Sookie replied. "You went up to Yale?"

"Yeah, we had a few more dorm things to drop off," Lorelai replied. "And I am happy to report that my little freshman is loving college life so far."

"That's good to hear," Sookie said. "She hasn't been involved in any campus drug busts or beer brawls so far?"

"Not yet, but it's only been a few days. Give her time to fall in with the wrong crowd."

"Okay, I'll check back next week. How'd your anniversary night go?"

Lorelai grinned. "Fabulously romantic. We had a candlelight dinner with wine, we watched our wedding video, we spent some time with this little guy. . ." She patted Joshua's arm. "It was perfect."

Sookie smiled. "Aw, good. It sounds like a nice night." 

"It was, it was really nice," Lorelai confirmed. 

"And about what you mentioned on the phone yesterday," Sookie said. "About you guys. . . for the first time. . .did you?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, we did."

Sookie gasped. "You did? How was it?" She grimaced and prepared herself for the worst. "Was it horrible? Did you cry? I've read so many articles in baby magazines that the first time after childbirth is really uncomfortable and the woman cries because there's so much pain and then she can't imagine ever doing it again."

Lorelai let out a surprised laugh. "Sookie, calm down."

"Just please tell me it wasn't like that."

"It wasn't like that," Lorelai assured her. "I promise."

Sookie let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good."

"But every woman's different," Lorelai continued. "Just because some women in some articles had a bad experience the first time doesn't mean that you will. Just remember to wait until you're completely ready."

"I know."

"And take it slow," Lorelai told her. 

"Right, slow, got it," Sookie noted. "So it wasn't bad?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, it wasn't bad at all. Not even close to bad. I mean, sure, it was a little uncomfortable at first, but Luke was really gentle and. . ." She paused and shook her head. "And he hates when I talk about personal stuff like this, so I shouldn't say anything else about it."

"Okay, sorry."

"Just don't worry about it," Lorelai told her. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

Sookie nodded and dropped the subject. "So, did you see Michel when you came in?'

"Yeah, but he was busy talking to the staff about something, so I didn't wanna interrupt. He seems to be enjoying his tenure as temporary manager, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," Sookie replied with a nod. "He loves that people actually have to listen to what he says."

Lorelai smiled. "It's a whole new world when you have that kind of power." She took a deep breath. "But it's good to hear, because I guess this means he probably won't mind if I don't come back to the inn right away."

"Oh, you're gonna take some more time off?"

"Yeah, it's something Luke and I talked about."

"How much more time? Like a couple weeks?"

Lorelai nibbled on her bottom lip. "Um, longer."

"A month?" Sookie suggested. Lorelai waved for her to keep guessing, and Sookie gasped. "Longer than a month? Really? Like a _couple_ months?"

Lorelai exhaled slowly and ran a finger across Joshua's forehead. "I was considering the possibility of kind of staying home with him for awhile. Like. . .I don't know, a year or two."

"A year or two?" Sookie exclaimed. "Are you serious? You're gonna quit work and be a stay-at-home mom?"

Lorelai nibbled nervously on her bottom lip. "Maybe. Possibly. Okay, tell me what you think, really. Because some days I think it sounds like the best idea in the world and other days it sounds so insane that I should be locked up in a mental institution for even considering it. So tell me, does it sound completely crazy?"

Sookie shook her head. "No, it's not crazy at all. I'm just surprised because I didn't even know you were thinking about it. But if that's something you wanna do and you can afford to do it, I think it's great. I'd do it if I could."

"That's the thing, we don't know if we _can_ afford it," Lorelai said with a sigh. "We might have to apply for a loan from the all mighty Bank of Gilmore."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Wow, you must really wanna stay at home if you're openly considering that option."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I do. I love being at home with him, spending the day with him, being there for all his firsts." She kissed Joshua's forehead. "I don't wanna miss anything." She sighed and glanced up at the inn. "But on the other hand. . .I'm gonna miss this place. This is where I grew up, where Rory grew up. It'll feel weird to not work here anymore."

"Well, you'll still be able to visit it," Sookie pointed out. "It's not like you're leaving town and you'll never be able to see it again."

"True. Another option Luke and I were talking about is me working just part time. A few half-days a week, or maybe just the weekends. That way I'll be able to spend a lot of time with Josh, but it'll break up the monotony of being home all day everyday. That way I won't fall into that stay-at-home rut that some parents fall into, you know?"

"Yeah, I've read a lot of articles about that rut," Sookie said. "That'd be one of my worries, that I'd just get tired of being home all the time."

"It's definitely something to think about," Lorelai agreed. "But we'll see what happens. Luke and I still have to talk it over some more." She nuzzled her nose against Joshua's head and inhaled the baby scent that she loved so much, then shrugged toward Sookie. "And I still want us to open our own inn someday."

"Me, too."

"Maybe we'll have time in a couple years when our boys start preschool and don't need as much full-time care."

Sookie smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

They talked for a few more minutes, then Lorelai and Joshua left the inn and drove to the diner. As they walked inside, Luke immediately walked over to them from the counter. "Hey."

"Hey you." Lorelai kissed him, then held Joshua out toward him. "Someone wants to see you."

Luke took the baby and cradled him against his chest. "Hey buddy. You being good today?"

"'I'm always good, Daddy,'" Lorelai replied for Joshua. 

"Good. What'd you do?"

"We've had a busy day so far," Lorelai replied. "We went shopping this morning, then took a little trip to Yale, then stopped by the inn for a visit." She let out a small yawn. "Now we're heading back home for a nice long nap."

"Can I get another soda, Luke?" Kirk called from the table in the back corner.

Luke turned and shot him a look. "Kirk, who am I holding in my arms right now?"

"Uh. . . that would be your son Joshua," Kirk replied nervously.

"And who's standing next to me?" Luke asked.

"Um. . .Lorelai."

"And what did I tell you about bugging me when I'm with them?"

"Um. . .don't do it?" 

"Yeah, don't do it," Luke repeated sternly.

"Sorry."

"I'll be there when I'm done." Luke turned back to Lorelai. "Sorry. So you're just heading home?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, we're gonna go take a nap, then I'm gonna teach him to sing just in case they ever come out with a baby version of American Idol."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if they did."

Lorelai patted him on the chest. "You should practice, too, 'cause you never know – American Idol, the Sexy Flannel-Wearing Diner Guy version might come out someday, too."

"Yeah, I'll start preparing for that right away." Luke handed Joshua back to her. "I'll be home around six. You want me to bring something for dinner?"

Lorelai thought for a moment, then replied, "Pizza and cheesy bread." 

"Okay." 

Lorelai lifted Joshua's arm to wave at Luke. "Bye Daddy."

Luke kissed Joshua's tiny fingers. "Bye, kid. Be good." He kissed Lorelai. "You, too."

Lorelai smiled. "I'll try. See you later."

"Bye." 

* * *

On Friday night, Rory was waiting by her car in front of Emily and Richard's house when Lorelai, Luke and Joshua arrived. 

"Hey you," Lorelai greeted Rory with a hug. "Have you been here long?" 

"Nope, just got here," Rory replied. She walked over to the truck where Luke was getting Joshua's carseat out of the back. "Hey Luke."

Luke set the carseat on the ground and hugged Rory. "Hey kiddo. How's it going?"

"Good, everything's good," Rory replied. She knelt down next to the carseat and rubbed Joshua's chin. "Hi, baby brother. Remember me?"

"Considering the fact that he's seen you almost everyday this week, I think so," Lorelai replied. "He hasn't had any time to forget you yet."

"Good." Rory stood up and grabbed the handle of the carseat. "Ready to go in?"

"I can carry him," Luke offered. 

"It's okay, I got it," Rory insisted. "Let's go."

They walked up to the door and rang the doorbell, and the maid let them in. She led them to the living room where Emily and Richard were sitting on the couch talking, and they both stood up when they saw their guests. 

"Hello, hello," Emily greeted them cheerfully.

"Come in, sit down," Richard added.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," Lorelai said as she and Luke sat on the couch.

"Should I take him out of this thing?" Rory asked as she set Joshua's carseat on the floor.

"Yes, of course," Emily replied, walking over to her. "I want to hold him." 

Rory unbuckled Joshua from the carseat, lifted him out and handed him to Emily, then took a seat in an armchair. Emily sat down with Joshua on the couch as Richard took drink orders and walked over to the beverage cart. 

"First things first," Richard announced. "Someone here needs to fill us in on her first week of college."

"I'm not positive, but I think that's directed at you, hon," Lorelai said to Rory.

Rory smiled. "Yeah, I figured."

"Come on, tell us how you like it so far," Emily said.

"Yes, tell us everything," Richard said. 

"Is it everything you imagined it would be?" Emily asked.

"How are your roommates?"

"How do you like the – "

"Whoa, guys, let her talk," Lorelai interrupted. "I've learned that conversations go smoother when they're not set up like an interrogation."

Richard walked over with a tray of drinks and handed them out. "I apologize, Rory. We're just anxious to hear about everything."

"That's okay." Rory took a sip of her soda. "But there's not really much to tell yet, I've only been there for a week."

"But you like it so far?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I love it," Rory replied. They talked about Yale until the maid announced that dinner was ready, then they moved to the dining room table. Lorelai put Joshua in his carseat and placed it on the floor next to her chair.   


They began eating, and after only a few minutes, Joshua started to become fussy. Lorelai tried to quiet him down by shaking his rattle, but he continued crying. She put her silverware down and wiped her hands on her napkin. "I think he's getting hungry. I have to warm up a bottle for him. Luke, can you. . ." She gestured to Joshua as she stood up. 

"Yeah, I'll get him," he replied. Lorelai headed to the kitchen as Luke removed Joshua from his carseat and calmed him down. "Shh, it's okay, your bottle's coming." Luke rocked back and forth until Joshua's cries lessened down to a whimper.

Lorelai returned with the bottle and extended her arms for Joshua. "Come here, honey. Let's go eat."

"I can feed him," Luke offered as he reached for the bottle. "I don't mind."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Take your time. We'll wait for you to return," Emily said. 

"Yes, we'll wait," Richard agreed, putting down his silverware.

"I'll get Maya to keep the food warm," Emily added.

"No, that's okay," Luke insisted. "I don't know how long it'll take. You guys should finish up."

"Well, then I'll at least get Maya to keep _your_ plate warm," Emily said. "How's that?"

Luke nodded appreciatively. "Great, thanks."

Lorelai kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, hon. Call down if you need anything." Luke nodded and headed out of the room, and Emily called for the maid to take his plate to the kitchen.

* * *

Almost ten minutes later, Luke was rocking Joshua up in the nursery when Lorelai walked into the room. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Fine," Luke replied. "He's done eating, now he's trying to go to sleep."

Lorelai sat down in the armchair next to the rocking chair. "My father just asked me how much longer my maternity leave is."

"Really? What did you say?"

"I just said that I wasn't sure of the exact date, but that it ends pretty soon." She became quiet as she glanced down and examined her fingernails. 

Luke eyed her expression. "What's up?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I'm just thinking."

"About?"

Lorelai exhaled slowly. "I think I finally made a decision about work."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I think I definitely wanna try to arrange a part-time work schedule." 

Luke nodded. "I think that'll be good."

"Me, too," she agreed. "But that means that you and I would have to coordinate a little so that you'd be able to watch him for those few hours that I'm at work."

"Not a problem," Luke assured her. 

Lorelai nibbled nervously on her bottom lip. "Are you sure? I don't want this to cause all kinds of scheduling conflicts."

"It won't be a big deal," Luke said. "We'll work something out. Don't worry about that."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Okay, good." 

"You think we should tell your parents that we'll probably need to borrow money for Yale?" Luke asked. "I mean, we might not need to for awhile, but if we tell 'em now, we'll have time to find another option if they say no."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Please, it's for Rory's school. When have they ever said no to anything involving Rory?"

"Hm, good point. I guess we're safe."

"Very safe." She smiled and ran her hand over Joshua's back. "Our boy's sleeping."

"Yup."

"So I guess we'll have to wait until next week to give him a tour of the upstairs of Gilmore Manor," Lorelai said. "Now, when we show him my old bedroom, should we introduce it as 'the room where Mommy and Daddy first saw each other naked' or 'the room where Mommy and Daddy first did each other'?"

Luke smirked. "Your call."

Lorelai tapped her finger on her chin, pretending to think it over. "Hm. Well, the nakedness led to the doing of each other, so maybe we could combine the two."

"Sounds good." Luke walked over to the crib and gently set Joshua in it. Joshua squirmed a little, and Luke was very still as he waited for him to settle back down. Once he did, Luke walked quietly toward the door, beckoning Lorelai to follow him. She turned on the baby monitor, grabbed its cordless counterpart, then followed Luke into the hallway, gently pulling the door closed behind her.

"Whew. Think he's down for the night?" Lorelai asked.

"Until we move him from the crib to the carseat to take him home," Luke replied. "But then he'll probably fall back asleep during the car ride."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Definitely."

Luke laced his fingers through hers. "Rory's coming home tonight, right?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we're gonna watch a movie and eat lots of junk food and cry about how we never see each other anymore."

Luke shook his head amusedly. "Need I point out that you've seen her everyday this week?"

"Excuse me, I didn't see her _yesterday_," Lorelai reminded him.

"Well, you talked to her on the phone four times, that's practically seeing her." 

Lorelai poked him in the chest. "I seriously hope you're not mocking my relationship with my daughter. . ." 

"I'm not, I'm just commenting."

"Good." She pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. "Because people who have mocked it in the past have faced serious repercussions."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Like eight years ago, when I was dating Conan O'Brien. . .I told you about our little fling, right?"

Luke smirked and shook his head. "I don't think you mentioned it."

Lorelai waved it off. "It didn't last very long. Don't worry, I don't have any lingering feelings for him. It was a purely physical relationship."

"Okay, good."

"Anyway, we were out on a date and I called home a few times to check up on Rory, and Conan made some snide remark about it. . .I don't remember the exact wording, but you know how he is . . ." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Always trying to be funny. Well, it got me a little annoyed, so when we went back to his place that night, I made him wait a good twenty minutes before I slept with him."

Luke gave her an impressed nod. "Wow, you showed him."

"Yeah. So, you know. . .you better watch what you say."

"I will." Luke clutched her waist and pulled her into a kiss. "You're completely insane."

"I know."

Luke kissed her again. "I love that about you."

Lorelai smiled. "I know that, too."

"Good. Quick question for ya. . ."

"Yes, Conan's a natural red head."

Luke shuddered and made a face. "Oh, God, Lorelai."

Lorelai giggled. "Oh, was that not your question?"

"No, it wasn't," he replied, shaking his head in disgust. "Ugh."

"Sorry. Want me to flash you my boobs so you have that mental image in your head instead of Conan?"

Luke took her hand and let her toward the stairs. "No, let's just go downstairs before they send up a search party for us."

"So what _was_ your question?" 

Luke shrugged and shook his head. "I don't even remember now."

"Must've been real important," Lorelai commented. They walked down the stairs in silence until Lorelai smiled and nudged his shoulder. "You're thinking about my boobs now, aren't you?" Luke gave her a sly smile and put his arm around her as they continued toward the dining room.

* * *

The next morning, Luke was in the kitchen making breakfast when Rory walked out of her bedroom. "Morning," Luke greeted her.

"Morning, Luke," Rory groggily replied. "Is there coffee?"

Luke gestured to the coffeepot. "Yup, just made some."

"Great." Rory poured herself a cup and sat down at the table. "Is Mom up?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs changing Josh," Luke replied. "They'll be right down."

A few minutes later, Lorelai entered the kitchen cradling Joshua in one hand and her video camera in the other. "I just got the cutest video of him in the crib," Lorelai announced. 

"What was he doing?" Rory asked.

"Just lying there, but it was really cute." She set the camera on the table, then held out Joshua toward Rory. "Here, hold him. I don't have any shots of you with him from this week."

"Uh, do we have to do this now?" Rory asked, gesturing to her robe. "Can't it wait until I don't look like a zombie?"

"Oh, please, you look fine," Lorelai insisted, and handed Joshua to her. "Nobody'll see it but us anyway."

"Yeah, I bet that's what Tommy Lee told Pamela Anderson."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Trust me, the tape of you holding Joshua in your pajamas and robe is not going to make its way across the internet."

"It better not," Rory grumbled. 

Lorelai frowned. "You haven't even said good morning to him."

"Sorry." Rory shifted Joshua in her arms to make him more comfortable. "Good morning, Josh. I didn't mean to ignore you, I was just conversing with our annoying mother."

"Hey, be nice, I'm starting to tape," Lorelai warned as she turned on the video camera. As she filmed the two of them, she narrated, "And here's Rory and Joshua enjoying a little sibling bonding time bright and early in the morning. . ." She panned the camera down to Rory's legs. "Let's get a good shot of Rory's Scooby Doo pajamas so we can remember them for years to come."

"Mom!" Rory hissed.

"Sorry." Lorelai giggled and aimed the camera at Luke. "And there's DaddyLuke cooking breakfast. What are you making, hon?"

"Pancakes and bacon," Luke replied.

"Looks good," Lorelai commented as she zoomed in on the pan. "Ooh, we should pretend we're on a cooking show. Tell us what you're doing now, Chef Luke."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm turning the bacon."

"That's right, folks, you must turn the bacon regularly until it gets to the crispiness of your liking," Lorelai narrated to her imaginary audience. "And what are you doing now, Chef Luke?"

Luke sighed and pointed his spatula toward Rory and Joshua. "Do me a favor and direct the camera that way, okay?"

Lorelai frowned, but panned from Luke back over to Rory and Joshua. "There they are, my two kids, still doing the sibling bonding thing. How's it going over there?"

"Just fine," Rory replied. "He thinks my finger's a toy."

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, look at that." She zoomed in on Joshua's tiny hand curled around Rory's finger. "That's so adorable." 

"Breakfast's ready," Luke announced as he started dishing out the food.

"Ooh, okay." Lorelai held the camera out at arms length, aiming it at herself. "This is Lorelai Danes, signing off from Stars Hollow, Connecticut." She turned the camera off and set it on the table. 

"Do you end all of your taping segments like that?" Rory asked. "Because it's kind of weird."

"No, sometimes I say, 'we'll be right back after a word from our sponsors,'" Lorelai replied. 

"Oh, good, that's less weird," Rory commented sarcastically. She nodded toward Joshua. "What should I do with him while we're eating?"

"I'll go get his carseat," Lorelai replied. She retrieved it from the living room and set it on the kitchen floor, and Rory placed Joshua in it. 

Lorelai squeezed a small plush baseball and 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' played. She set it on Joshua's lap. "There ya go, buddy. Be good while we eat."

Rory smiled. "Aw, that toy's so cute. Let me guess. . .Luke picked it out?"

"You are correct," Lorelai answered. "He's trying to instill a love of sports into him as soon as possible." 

"That's right," Luke said. "He's gonna be an active kid, not one of those lazy kids who sits around watching television all day. Being involved in group activities is good for a child's development. I read that somewhere. He'll be making friends, learning about teamwork, developing his hand-eye coordination. . ."

"Whoa, okay, he's a month and a half, Luke," Lorelai interrupted. "We should probably hold off on signing him up for sports just yet."

"Sorry, I'm just. . .I don't know. . ." Luke shrugged and let his voice trail off.

Lorelai smiled and patted his arm. "You're just excited about doing all those father-son male bonding sportsy things, I get it. I think it's adorable."

"Me, too," Rory agreed. "I think it's great that you're looking forward to that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, well. . ." Luke shrugged. "It'll be fun to teach him new things. And not just sports. I mean, I can teach him how to fish and how to play chess and how to – "

"Make a mean batch of pancakes," Lorelai interjected before she shoved a forkful into her mouth.

"Yeah, you can have little cooking classes at the diner and teach him how to cook," Rory suggested. "And maybe Mom can participate and try to pick up a few tips."

Lorelai shook her fork at Rory. "Hey, you're one to talk. You're just as kitchenly inept as I am."

"Kitchenly inept?" Rory asked with an amused smile.

Lorelai frowned. "You just mocked my cooking skills, now you're mocking my made up words? What's this, Pick On Mommy Day?"

"No, but we can formally make it that if you want," Rory replied with a grin.

Joshua started to whimper, so Lorelai reached down and squeezed the stuffed baseball to start the music over again. "Hang on, honey. Mommy'll pick you up as soon as she's done eating." Lorelai gently rocked the carseat until Joshua became quiet. "Good boy."

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Rory asked. 

"I don't know," Lorelai replied with a shrug. She glanced out the window. "Looks pretty nice out. We could take Joshua for a walk to the park and hang out there for a little while." She glanced down at Joshua. "Sound good to you, little guy?" Joshua stared up at her obliviously with his big blue eyes and Lorelai smiled. "I think he likes that idea."

"I need to stop at the hardware store and pick up some new hinges for the garage door," Luke said. "I wanna get that fixed before the weather starts getting cold."

"Is Sissy's still having that back-to-school sale?" Rory asked.

"Ooh, yeah, I think tomorrow's the last day," Lorelai replied. "Okay, how about this – first we take a walk to the park and completely ruin our appetites for lunch by getting double scoop ice cream cones. . ."

"Sounds good so far," Rory commented.

"Then we can head toward the shops, and the boys can browse the hardware store while the girls check out the shoe sale," Lorelai continued. "Then we can meet back up, get some lunch, maybe stop at the market to pick up a few things. . ."

"We're getting low on diapers," Luke interjected. "And baby formula."

"Okay, someone write that down before we forget and consequently get arrested for depriving our baby of major necessities," Lorelai said.

"Don't worry, I'll remember," Rory said.

"Good. Then we can come back here and hang out 'til you go back to school," Lorelai finished. "There we go, the day's all planned."

"I wanted to stop by and see Lane at some point," Rory said. "So if we can work that into the plan somehow, that'd be good."

"I'm sure we can squeeze that in somewhere," Lorelai assured her. "What time do you think you're gonna head back to school?"

Rory shrugged. "I don't know, probably like seven-ish. I wanna try to get back while it's still light out."

"Good idea," Luke said. "I don't like the idea of you walking around that campus in the dark. Who knows what could happen."

Lorelai frowned and smacked his arm. "Okay, Mr. Positivity, let's not put scary thoughts into the already-concerned mother's head, okay? I'm sure the campus is safe." 

"If you say so." Luke stood up from the table and walked his plate over to the sink, then leaned against the counter. "Wouldn't hurt to carry a can of pepper spray or something, though. Ya know, just in case. . ."

Lorelai gasped. "Luke, stop it, you're freaking me out."

"Yeah, me, too," Rory added with a frown. "Now I'm gonna be paranoid all the time."

Luke held up his hands innocently. "Okay, sorry." He walked over to the carseat and picked up Joshua. "Let's get outta here before Daddy says something else that gets him in trouble."

"Good idea," Lorelai said as Luke and Joshua headed toward the living room. She frowned at Rory. "You okay?"

Rory nodded as she ate her last piece of bacon. "Yeah. I'm gonna go take a shower and try to forget that conversation ever happened."

"Think of the Chili's baby back ribs commercial," Lorelai suggested. "Once you get that song in your head, you won't be able to think of anything else, I promise."

"Thanks for the tip." Rory walked out of the kitchen, and Lorelai finished up her breakfast. 

* * *

That night after dinner, Rory packed up her things to head back to Yale, and Lorelai, Luke, and Joshua walked her out to her car to say goodbye. 

Rory kissed Joshua's cheek. "See ya, little guy. I had fun spending the day with you." She hugged Luke. "You, too."

"Ditto," Luke replied. "Drive safe." 

"I will," Rory promised. She stepped over to Lorelai and hugged her. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, sweets." Lorelai kissed her on the cheek. "Call me tomorrow."

"I will." Rory climbed into her car and pulled away, waving goodbye out the open window. 

Luke and Lorelai walked over to the front porch and sat down on the steps. "Well, it's just the three of us again," Luke noted as he shifted Joshua in his arms

"Yup." Lorelai linked her arm through his and leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's weird. . . when she's not here, sometimes it feels like she's just right around the corner, and sometimes it feels like she's a million miles away. If that makes any sense at all."

Luke nodded and rubbed her knee. "I know what you mean."

Lorelai was quiet for a minute as she took Joshua's hand and stroked it with her thumb. "What do you think he's gonna be like when he's older?"

"Kinda hard to say," Luke replied. "I bet he'll be smart."

"And cute," Lorelai added as she ran a finger over Joshua's cheek. "I mean, look at this adorable face. He's gonna grow up to be quite the ladies' man." She stared down at Joshua for a few seconds, then sighed softly. "I just hope he's happy, ya know? I hope that when he's older and he sits down to think about his life, he can say, 'wow, I've had a pretty good life so far.'" 

Luke put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "I hope so, too. That's the main thing all parents want in life, for their kids to be happy." He was quiet a moment, then said, "You know, I always talk to him about you when you're not around."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Good stuff, I hope."

Luke smirked. "Mostly." Lorelai nudged him with her elbow, and he laughed. "No, I just tell him stories about us. . . about our life together, our wedding, you know, that kind of stuff. I mean, I know he doesn't understand it, but. . .I like talking about it."

Lorelai smiled and nodded understandably. "I talk to him about stuff like that, too."

Luke brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "One of things I always tell him is that I hope he finds someone who makes him as happy as you make me."   


Lorelai smiled. "Aw, that's so sweet." She kissed him. "I say that to Rory about you." 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. So I guess the conclusion we can draw from that is that you and I make each other very, very happy."

"Yup." He kissed her softly on the lips. "Love you."

Lorelai smiled. "Love you, too." She sighed contentedly as she stared up into Luke's eyes. That special glint. . .the one that made her realize for the first time that this man cared for her more than she'd ever know. . .it was still there. 

And she knew it always would be.

* * *

The End

Author's Note:

Firstly, I seriously have to apologize for this chapter taking so long. I've always tried to stick to a consistent one-week or two-week updating schedule, so it was driving me crazy that I didn't have the time to do that anymore. I was writing as often as I could, but I was only able to churn out a few paragraphs a week. I'm really sorry, and I thank you guys for your patience. :)

Secondly, many thanks for reading the story, and for your continued support throughout both this one and its prequel, "It's Right There." Thanks to everyone for sticking by me these past two years as I attempted to play out all of my crazy Luke/Lorelai fantasies. Here's hoping that the real GG writers someday take the L/L friendship to the next level. 

As most of you know, I'm not good at ending stories, so I'm sorry if this ending seems weird. There are no plans (or time) for another sequel, but I think it's best to just leave the story open-ended like this to let the readers imagine their own continuations. 

Thanks so much for reading,

Ann :)


End file.
